A new Quinnipiac poll finds that independents in Ohio are beginning to move into the D column, erasing some poor polling numbers from earlier this year. From the latest Q-poll (MoE +/- 2.5):
Democrats are having a mini-surge in Ohio as two possible candidates for the open U.S. Senate seat have come from behind to pass the Republican contender, and Gov. Ted Strickland remains ahead of Republican challenger John Kasich, 43 - 38 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
And President Barack Obama's job approval is up from a negative 44 - 52 percent February 23 to an almost even 47 - 48 percent today, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe- ack) University poll finds.
From CNN:
"Perhaps it's the passage of the health care overhaul and the fact that people like being with a winner: There has been a small, but consistent movement toward Democratic candidates and causes in Ohio in the last month," says Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Whether this is the beginning of a long-term move or not won't be clear for some time, perhaps until November."
According to the poll, a jump among Independents is partially behind the bump in Obama's overall approval rating, but a majority of Independents still disapprove of the job he's doing in office.
Expect state by state variation as local factors mix with national trends, but there's every reason to believe the Dems have hit bottom and that the wave may not crest as high as anticipated for the GOP.
That still leaves the Dems behind, likely to lose seats, and with plenty of work to do before November, but it's not all doom and gloom out there any more. That alone is worth noting. After all, for all the 'if the election were held today' stories, the election is not being held today.