Brown, a longtime Congressman, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, when he defeated incumbent Republican Mike DeWine. Brown won that race in what was considered a significant year for Democratic Party gains both statewide and nationally, but – if the election were held today – he would hold his seat against any of these three GOP challengers.
* Former state Treasurer, Ohio Secretary of State, and 2006 candidate for governor Ken Blackwell, Brown would win by a 49% to 36% margin.
* Against sitting Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor, he would win by a 50% to 36% margin.
* Against sitting Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, Brown would win 48% support, compared to 33% support for Mandel.
This is good news for Brown, in large part because of his disastrous re-election numbers otherwise. He benefits from the fact that the field of opponents has not yet taken shape. That, of course, will change, and quickly, as 2012 U.S. Senate races across the country are shaping up with a speed that is unusual, even for national politics.
The Wenzel Strategies survey shows things get interesting in a prospective GOP primary. In a Republican Primary election three-way match-up between these three GOP candidates, Blackwell leads with 33%, Taylor finishes second with 19%, while Mandel plays third-fiddle with 15% support – including only those voters who said they were most likely to participate in the Ohio GOP primary election.
http://www.wenzelstrategies.com/blog/polls/senator-brown-leads-gop-challengers-in-new-ws-election-poll/
