John Kasich would have completely destroyed Hillary Clinton in Ohio

A Monmouth poll shows that John Kasich would have led Hillary Clinton in Ohio if he was the Republican nominee.

(Image credit: J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)

published 22 August 2016

The swing state of Ohio is not feeling too hot about Donald Trump. Roughly 43 percent of the state backs Hillary Clinton, and about 39 percent backs Trump, with another 10 percent planning to vote for the Libertarian Gary Johnson, less than 1 percent for the Green Party's Jill Stein, and another 8 percent undecided, Monmouth reported Monday.

But if Ohio Gov. John Kasich had been the Republican Party's nominee, it would be a completely different story. In that matchup, 57 percent of the state would have backed Kasich, with only 33 percent voting for Clinton.

Kasich is no fan of Trump's, having refused to endorse him — and that isn't even hurting him in the state. Thirty-eight percent of Ohio voters say they think more highly of Kasich for refusing to support Trump, with a mere 17 percent saying they think less highly of him. Forty-four percent said Kasich's refusal has no impact on their opinion.

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The poll was conducted by phone between Aug. 18 and 21, with 402 likely voters in Ohio responding. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percent.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.