SENATE DISTRICT 18 --A new poll released today shows Democrat Betsy Rader in a statistical tie with Republican Jerry Cirino for the open Ohio Senate District 18 seat (Portage, Geauga, Lake Counties).
"Betsy Rader is an incredible candidate who has raised nearly $300,000 for her race so far. With Betsy's fundraising plus these poll numbers, SD 18 is now officially a flippable seat," said Senator Nickie Antonio, who serves as Campaign Chair for the Ohio Senate Democrats.
"We see in the poll that the more voters learn about Betsy, the more they like her. And she will have the resources to introduce herself to voters everywhere for the remainder of the campaign."
The race starts out at a statistical tie. Rader earns 40% to Cirino’s 44%, well within the poll's margin of error. 16% percent of voters are undecided at this stage of the race.
Then, in an informed matchup, the race moves to 45% each, with an undecided rate of 10%.
This indicates that Cirino's support has a ceiling, while Rader's support will only grow as more voters get to know her story.
Independents also broke toward Rader by a 5-point marginin the poll (48%-43%).
The poll was conducted by respected national polling firm Lake Research Partners via phone, using a mix of landlines and mobile phones, between July 30 and August 5. It included 400 participants, with a margin of error of +/- 4.9%.
Betsy Rader was previously a Senior Counsel at the Cleveland Clinic and worked at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
As a civil rights lawyer, Ms. Rader fights for the rights of workers and advises companies on how to comply with the laws. She also volunteers pro bono legal services to help workers who are trying to access unemployment benefits and serves as a guardian ad litem for abused children.