Portman tops Strickland by 9 points in Quinnipiac poll

WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. Rob Portman has surged to a nine-point lead over Democratic challenger Ted Strickland in a poll released today by Quinnipiac University. The new poll shows that among those likely to vote in the November election, Portman has the backing of 49 percent compared to 40 percent for Strickland.