WASHINGTON " Declaring 'there's a lot of fight left in me,' former Democratic Gov. TedStrickland dismissed a new Quinnipiac University poll showing him trailing Republican Sen. RobPortman by 11 percentage points two months out from the Nov. 8 election.

At a news conference Friday in Bexley, Strickland acknowledged he was 'a little behind and Iwill admit to you the attack ads have had an effect, but I also will tell you I am a fighter.'

Strickland pointed to his 2010 re-election campaign when a Quinnipiac poll in September of thatyear had Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich leading him by 17 points in a raceStrickland barely lost, 49-to-47 percent.

"If they had me down by 11 (percent), that means I'm going to win by three or four if we usepast history," Strickland said.

Quinnipiac's new poll, which was released Friday, shows Portman winning 51 percent of likelyvoters compared to 40 percent for Strickland.

The survey shows that Portman's lead is in large part due to his strength among women voters.Forty-six percent of women voters in Ohio say they will back Portman compared to 45 percent forStrickland. For Strickland to have any chance of winning, he must win a greater share of womenvoters.

By contrast, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is winning just 39 percent of thewomen vote, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Thursday. Democratic presidential nomineeHillary Clinton is winning 52 percent of the women vote in Ohio, a far stronger performance thanStrickland.

The poll was released as Senate Democrats privately appear to be bracing themselves for thelikelihood that Strickland will not defeat Portman.

At a private meeting this week before a trade association in Washington, D.C., Tom Lopach,executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, did not list the Ohio race asamong the top eight races Democrats are focusing on.

Instead, according to a source who attended the meeting, Lopach said Strickland could only win 'if a wave comes' in, a reference to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton winning by astrong margin in Ohio.

When asked why Ohio is not among the likely states for Democrats to win, Lopach reportedlyreplied, 'Portman has run a damn fine race.'

'The rest, I'll have to tell you over a drink,' Lopach added, the source said.

Just this week, a Senate Democratic political action committee headed by Minority Leader HarryReid of Nevada canceled $3 million worth of TV commercials on behalf of Strickland.

A Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee official, who spoke on condition of anonymity,disputed the characterization of the meeting. Democrats, he said, 'believe that Ted Strickland canwin this race and that Ohio deserves a senator like Ted instead of Rob Portman who has looked outfor his K Street and Wall Street backers instead of Ohio families."

In other news, Portman objected to Trump's kind words about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ina statement, Portman said he did not think anyone should be praising Putin.

"But I do believe that over the last eight years Russia has taken advantage of American weaknessaround the world, whether it be in the Middle East or Ukraine,' Portman said.

During a foreign policy forum hosted Wednesday by NBC, Trump described Putin as a 'leader, farmore than our president has been.'

Strickland called Putin a "KGB thug" and an enemy of the U.S. Trump's admiration of the Russianleader "says something really, really sad about Donald Trump.'

'And it says something about Rob Portman that is bad, as well, because he continues to sayDonald Trump should be president," Strickland said. "I think Rob Portman knows better in his heartof hearts, yet he is so committed to his own political well-being that he is willing to sacrificethis country with a Donald Trump presidency,' he said.

Jana Heigl of the Dispatch Washington bureau contributed to this story.

jtorry@dispatch.com

@jacktorry1

rludlow@dispatch.com

@RandyLudlow

WASHINGTON " Declaring 'there's a lot of fight left in me,' former Democratic Gov. TedStrickland dismissed a new Quinnipiac University poll showing him trailing Republican Sen. RobPortman by 11 percentage points two months out from the Nov. 8 election.

At a news conference Friday in Bexley, Strickland acknowledged he was 'a little behind and Iwill admit to you the attack ads have had an effect, but I also will tell you I am a fighter.'

Strickland pointed to his 2010 re-election campaign when a Quinnipiac poll in September of thatyear had Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich leading him by 17 points in a raceStrickland barely lost, 49-to-47 percent.

"If they had me down by 11 (percent), that means I'm going to win by three or four if we usepast history," Strickland said.

Quinnipiac's new poll, which was released Friday, shows Portman winning 51 percent of likelyvoters compared to 40 percent for Strickland.

The survey shows that Portman's lead is in large part due to his strength among women voters.Forty-six percent of women voters in Ohio say they will back Portman compared to 45 percent forStrickland. For Strickland to have any chance of winning, he must win a greater share of womenvoters.

By contrast, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is winning just 39 percent of thewomen vote, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Thursday. Democratic presidential nomineeHillary Clinton is winning 52 percent of the women vote in Ohio, a far stronger performance thanStrickland.

The poll was released as Senate Democrats privately appear to be bracing themselves for thelikelihood that Strickland will not defeat Portman.

At a private meeting this week before a trade association in Washington, D.C., Tom Lopach,executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, did not list the Ohio race asamong the top eight races Democrats are focusing on.

Instead, according to a source who attended the meeting, Lopach said Strickland could only win 'if a wave comes' in, a reference to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton winning by astrong margin in Ohio.

When asked why Ohio is not among the likely states for Democrats to win, Lopach reportedlyreplied, 'Portman has run a damn fine race.'

'The rest, I'll have to tell you over a drink,' Lopach added, the source said.

Just this week, a Senate Democratic political action committee headed by Minority Leader HarryReid of Nevada canceled $3 million worth of TV commercials on behalf of Strickland.

A Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee official, who spoke on condition of anonymity,disputed the characterization of the meeting. Democrats, he said, 'believe that Ted Strickland canwin this race and that Ohio deserves a senator like Ted instead of Rob Portman who has looked outfor his K Street and Wall Street backers instead of Ohio families."

In other news, Portman objected to Trump's kind words about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ina statement, Portman said he did not think anyone should be praising Putin.

"But I do believe that over the last eight years Russia has taken advantage of American weaknessaround the world, whether it be in the Middle East or Ukraine,' Portman said.

During a foreign policy forum hosted Wednesday by NBC, Trump described Putin as a 'leader, farmore than our president has been.'

Strickland called Putin a "KGB thug" and an enemy of the U.S. Trump's admiration of the Russianleader "says something really, really sad about Donald Trump.'

'And it says something about Rob Portman that is bad, as well, because he continues to sayDonald Trump should be president," Strickland said. "I think Rob Portman knows better in his heartof hearts, yet he is so committed to his own political well-being that he is willing to sacrificethis country with a Donald Trump presidency,' he said.

Jana Heigl of the Dispatch Washington bureau contributed to this story.

jtorry@dispatch.com

@jacktorry1

rludlow@dispatch.com

@RandyLudlow