Lt. Gov. Fisher continues to lead in Ohio Senate Democratic primary

Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher continues to carry a lead down the stretch in his Democratic Senate primary with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, but he has hardly closed the door yet.

Fisher leads Brunner 33-26 in a new Quinnipiac poll, which finds the two of them still unknown to large percentages of voters. Fisher would appear to have more power to build his name ID, by virtue of his vastly superior war chest ($1.8 million to $60,000, at year's end).

Fisher leads among both men and women, and women voters say Brunner's gender, which is generally seen as an asset, has basically no impact on their vote.

It's becoming about time for Fisher to make his move, with just five weeks until their May 4 primary. Expectations are high, and observers will be looking at his performance for tips about how he might do in a general election with former Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio).

Voting begins today.

Ohio voters have the option of submitting absentee ballots in person or through the mail without submitting a reason for the absentee request, and they can do this up to 35 days prior to the election.

The Ohio voting laws were the topic of discussion in the 2008 presidential election, when the then-battleground state of Ohio adopted laws also allowing for same-day registration for voters, praised by the Obama campaign and contested by the GOP. 

Jennifer Switft contributed to this report.