Poll: Portman would be of little help to Romney in Ohio

Despite growing momentum for Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) as a possible vice presidential candidate, a new poll shows the senator would do little to boost Mitt Romney's chances in his home state, crucial to the Republican nominee's chances in November.

According to a new poll from Quinnipiac University, a Romney-Portman ticket would be deadlocked in Ohio against the Obama-Biden campaign, with each side garnering 45 percent of the electorate. That's virtually unchanged from current polling in the state, which shows the president with a statistically insignificant 45-44 percent lead.

"Adding Sen. Rob Portman to the Romney ticket produces no measurable change, despite speculation about Portman's potential for helping Romney carry the key state of Ohio," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a statement.

Portman does little to bridge the significant gender gap among Ohio voters. Adding Portman to the ticket marginally improves the Republican standing among men, from 50-40 percent to 51-40 percent, and among women from 49-38 percent to 49-41 percent.

Remarkably, nearly six in 10 Ohio voters say they don't know enough about Portman — who won election to the Senate in 2010 — to have an opinion of him. Of those in the state with a formed position on their senator, 26 percent view him favorably and 14 percent unfavorably.

Romney, President Obama and Vice President Biden all see virtually even splits in their favorable and unfavorable polling in the states, underscoring the true swing nature of Ohio. Republicans have never won the White House without securing the Buckeye State.

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