Cordray leads GOP’s DeWine by 5 points in Ohio governor’s race: poll

Richard Cordray, the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor, holds a 5-point lead over GOP opponent Mike DeWine, according to a poll released Friday.

The survey of 789 likely voters, conducted by Gravis Marketing from Oct. 29-30, found that 48 percent of respondents said they would vote for Cordray, while 43 percent chose DeWine.

The margin of error of was 3.5 percent, and 9 percent of respondents said they were undecided.

{mosads}Cordray’s lead, less than a week before Election Day, is welcome news for Democrats eyeing major gains in a state that President Trump in 2016 by 8 points. Election analysts consider the race a toss-up, though Cordray has maintained leads between 3 points and 6 points other polls conducted in October.

Cordray, a former Ohio attorney general who later served as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in Washington, is vying to succeed term-limited Gov. John Kasich (R). Cordray has been endorsed by former President Obama, who appointed Cordray to lead the CFPB, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D), chief architect of the financial watchdog agency.

DeWine defeated Cordray in 2010 to become the state’s attorney general after he was ousted from his Senate seat by now-Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) in 2006.

The Gravis poll also showed Brown with a 9-point lead over GOP challenger Rep. Jim Renacci. Brown, a frequent subject of 2020 presidential speculation, has maintained a comfortable lead over Renacci throughout the year.