CLEVELAND, Ohio - A new statewide poll of the gubernatorial race shows former federal consumer watchdog Richard Cordray narrowly leads the wide-open Democratic side of the race, while Attorney General Mike DeWine is running away with the Republican primary.

The poll was commissioned by the 1984 Society, a nonprofit, bipartisan group of former Ohio Senate employees and senators who wanted good independent polling for the political community. It was conducted via phone interviews by Fallon Research with a sample size of 801 and a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

The poll was taken Jan. 16-19 and is the first released since the multiple shakeups in the governor's race, including the exit of Secretary of State Jon Husted and U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, both Republicans, and former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, both Democrats. It is also the first to include Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O'Neill and former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, both Democrats.

It also includes running mates for each of the candidates. (1984 Society board member Neil Clark acknowledged having to anticipate several of the running mates, including Democrat Connie Pillich's, who was initially listed in the poll as state Sen. Cecil Thomas. Pillich eventually selected Marion Mayor Scott Schertzer, which was reflected halfway through the poll.)

Democratic primary

Cordray, the former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau who entered the race in December, currently leads the field of five Democratic candidates, though only by seven percentage points. Former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich came in second with 16 percent. Fifty-two percent of Democratic primary voters said they were undecided. The breakdown is below.

1984 Society Poll - Democratic Primary Percent Ex-CFPB Director Richard Cordray 23% Former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich 16% State Sen. Joe Schiavoni 4% Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O'Neill 3% Former State Rep. Connie Pillich 2% Undecided 52%

The poll was taken after Cordray and Sutton announced they would join a single ticket, merging what up to that point was considered the top two Democrats in the race on a unity ticket.

But the poll released Thursday does not show significant support flocking to the Cordray-Sutton ticket, indicating a potentially more competitive primary.

While Cordray has had two months to actively campaign, speculation mounted around Kucinich on Jan. 8 when he filed paperwork to revive his committee. He didn't declare he was running until Jan. 17.

Dennis Kucinich announces his candidacy for governor of Ohio at a rally in Middleburg Heights.

The race appears to be shaping up into a duel between Cordray and Kucinich, but Clark said Schiavoni could also become a contender.

"Ultimately, I think as Joe approaches this game, even though he's low in this particular poll, I think ... he could be a factor if he spends money and gets out there," Clark said. "But right now, you'd have to say it's between Cordray and Kucinich."

Republican primary

According to the poll, DeWine currently leads his lone challenger, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, by a margin of 54-14, with 32 percent of those polled undecided. He leads in every demographic and geographic group by a wide margin, though is only besting Taylor in Toledo by six percentage points.

1984 Society Poll Results - GOP Primary Percent Attorney General Mike DeWine 54% Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor 14% Undecided 32%

Attorney General Mike DeWine, right, shakes hands with Secretary of State Jon Husted. DeWine announced in November that Husted will leave the 2018 Republican gubernatorial race to become his running mate.

DeWine's lead isn't shocking given past polls and recent developments in the race. The attorney general led several Republican polls in both name identification and support.

Since November, the once seemingly competitive Republican primary field winnowed. Husted, who was DeWine's top contender, dropped out of the race in November to join DeWine's ticket as his running mate. Renacci left the race in December to run for U.S. Senate after Treasurer Josh Mandel surprisingly dropped out of the race.

General election

The only general election matchup question that was asked was between Cordray and DeWine and shows bad news for Democrats.

In the head-to-head, DeWine currently leads Cordray 49-28, with 23 percent of respondents unsure.

1984 Society Poll Results - General Election Percent Attorney General Mike DeWine 49% Ex-CFPB Director Richard Cordray 28% Undecided 23%

Part of that could be Ohioans' response to the question of whether the state was on the right track. Fifty-four percent of respondents said it was, while only 24 percent said the state is heading in the wrong direction.

Kasich and Trump

Term-limited Republican Gov. John Kasich's popularity is likely another factor in DeWine's strong general election numbers. While Republican President Donald Trump is under water with 52 percent of respondents disapproving of his job in office and 43 percent approving, Kasich fared much better.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they approved of the job being done by Kasich, while 29 percent said they disapprove. That includes 53 percent of Democrats, 56 percent of independents and 63 percent of Republicans.

In this April 4, 2017 file photo, Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks in Sandusky, Ohio. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane, File)

Trump, meanwhile, is wildly unpopular with Democrats at 13 percent approval and 84 percent disapproval. His approval with independents is also abysmal, with 39 percent supporting and 53 percent opposing.

Clark said he did not expect the Republican candidates to distance themselves from Trump at any point during the 2018 cycle in Ohio, largely because of his 75 percent approval rating among the GOP.

Instead, despite his overall popularity, the Republican primary candidates have shunned Kasich, trying to distance themselves from the governor. At a forum in October, the then-four candidates couldn't muster any support for Kasich.

Taylor, who has been endorsed by Kasich, has actively tried to shed herself of any connection to the governor, claiming that he actually endorsed DeWine.

Future polls

Clark said the 1984 Society plans to do polls throughout the primary and general election to give some clarity to the race for donors on both sides of the aisle and the business community.

He said he wanted to do independent polling so the community could quit relying on the candidates' campaign committees.

"It's unfair when you're out there trying to raise money or make decisions that you're not getting accurate numbers," he said.

The Thursday poll was paid for by the 1984 Society, but Clark said he anticipated future surveys would be paid for by others, akin to crowdfunding from the political community.

Clark said he hoped to have the next poll done in March and wants to include all statewide contests, including the U.S. Senate race.

Read the poll:

01-25-2018 1984 Society Gubernatorial Poll by srichardson on Scribd

Poll presentation:

Winter 2018 Survey Results Presentation by srichardson on Scribd