DAYTON — Two weeks from now election results will be rolling in.
We will be learning who will lead Ohio for the next four years from the Governor’s office and in Washington as U.S. Senator.
These two statewide races have candidates from the same two parties, but polls are showing vastly different results.
News Center 7′s Molly Koweek looked at four new polls for the senate race, all from this week.
All were close with four points as the largest separation.
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Republican J.D. Vance was out ahead and Democrat Tim Ryan is not far behind.
But in the race for governor, it’s a different story.
Same political parties but the smallest spread 13 points, the biggest 24 points, with Republic Incumbent Governor Mike DeWine defeating Democrat Nan Whaley.
“I think there are a couple of explanations for the difference that we’re seeing in the polling for the governor’s race and the senate campaign,” Mark Caleb Smith, director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University said.
He explained DeWine’s long-term political status helping him.
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“This is a person with deep, deep roots in the state of Ohio, with tremendous name recognition and a good reputation. so it shouldn’t surprise us that he would poll better than most other statewide candidates,” Smith said.
Smith said while DeWine supports former president Donald Trump, he doesn’t do so as strongly as Republican Senate Candidate J.D. Vance.
“I think that means there’s at least a chunk of the Ohio Republican electorate that maybe has some second thoughts about Vance since they connect him so closely to trump, now, how big that is, and will it make enough of a difference? ... I think that remains to be seen,” Smith said.
Smith also said having the two races at the same time raises awareness in general and may increase voter turnout this Midterm.