OH-Sen: Fisher Leads Brunner by 7, But Undecideds Rule

Quinnipiac (3/25-28, likely voters, 2/16-21 in parens):

Lee Fisher (D): 33 (29)

Jennifer Brunner (D): 26 (20)

Undecided: 40 (48)

(MoE: ±3.1%)

The votes in this race won’t be counted until primary day on May 4th, but early voting begins today, meaning this primary should be in high gear right about now. Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher has had a small but consistent lead in all of the primary polling we’ve seen of this race (done almost entirely by Quinnipiac, it should be mentioned), but with 40% of voters undecided and 65% of those who are backing a candidate saying they might change their mind, plenty of votes are still up for grabs.

The question, though, is how can Brunner, whose fundraising woes are by this point well-documented, swoop up those undecided and soft Fisher voters? A well-funded campaign might have had the ability to make a real impression right now, which is exactly why Brunner is paying for her months of weak fundraising efforts so dearly today. As it is, she can rely on activist shoe leather to keep Fisher on guard, but snatching the primary win may turn out to be an opportunity that Brunner blew when she couldn’t persuade donors to invest in her campaign.

48 thoughts on “OH-Sen: Fisher Leads Brunner by 7, But Undecideds Rule”

  1. Right now, the Ohio rank and file are broke and discouraged. At this point in the cycle, the “fat cat” donors rule the day. And ODP chair Redfern and Gov Strickland have those locked up and/or quarantined such that it would be almost impossible for Brunner to pry them away.

    DINOs, business types, lawyers, lobbyists, “insiders” just naturally tilt to Fisher.

    Ironically, if Brunner were to prevail in the primary, I would expect the fundraising situation to change to where Brunner’s outreach to da roots would kick in.

  2. http://www.cleveland.com/open/

    “All voters who switch parties for the May 4 primary must sign a form supporting their new party’s principles under a controversial directive Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner issued on Friday. ”

    Here in Virginia for the 2008 primary, the Republicans tried to have a “loyalty oath” for voters in their primary. It was unpopular, so they backed off on it. I don’t understand why Brunner thinks this is a good idea, especially at the last minute before the primary.

  3. Why don’t you just come out and say “I support Lee Fisher to win the Ohio democratic senate primary.”  That’s pretty much what you wrote here, what was essentially a scathing blow against Jennifer Brunner.  

    What I see in this poll are the following.  

    1.Positive trendlines for Brunner

    2.Fisher failing to lock up mainstream support despite being on tv the last 3 weeks at least.

    3.A LOT of undecideds.  

    For you to say that Brunner has “missed her chance” when 2/5 of the electorate is undecided and 3/5 say they could conceivably change their vote is just plain ignorant.

  4. What is wrong with Ohio? We’re going from a cross-eyed fool to a perpetual loser who embarrasses us internationally, i.e. couldn’t seal the deal in Russia for the steel jobs. Lee Fisher needs some Rogaine.

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