Top Democrats tied with Trump in Ohio: Democratic poll

A new survey from a left-leaning polling outlet finds President Trump running even with the top contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination in Ohio, which the president carried by 8 points in 2016.

The latest Public Policy Polling survey, conducted on behalf of the progressive group Innovation Ohio, found former Vice President Joe Biden edging Trump 48 percent to 46 percent in Ohio, which is within the survey’s margin of error.

{mosads}Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are tied with Trump at 47 percent each.

The survey found Trump trailing a generic Democratic presidential candidate 48 percent to 47 percent, underscored by the president’s 51 percent to 37 percent deficit among independent voters in the state.

Twelve Democratic White House hopefuls will be in Ohio this week for the fourth presidential debate.

Still, many Democrats are doubtful that Ohio will be in play for them in 2020.

The one-time Electoral College bellwether has moved further and further away from the party and some believe that former President Obama’s victories there in 2008 and 2012 may have been an aberration.

Some Democrats now view Texas and Georgia as more fertile ground for the party as it seeks inroads in traditionally red states.

There are questions about whether the Democratic nominee should spend heavily in Ohio in 2020. There are no Senate races in the state this cycle.

Still, PPP pollster Tom Jensen said the latest data indicates Ohio will be back in play.

“Overall the findings of this poll suggest that Ohio should be closely contested next fall and that 2016 may have been just a brief blip from the state’s status as one of the most competitive battleground states in the country,” Jensen said.

The poll found that 47 percent of voters in Ohio have a favorable view of Trump, against 51 percent unfavorable.

Forty-nine percent of voters in Ohio say they support the impeachment inquiry into Trump, against 47 percent who oppose it.

Fifty-four percent independent voters said they support impeachment, and 57 percent of suburban voters said the same.

The PPP survey of 776 Ohio voters was conducted Oct. 10-11 and has a 3.5 percentage-point margin of error.