Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders appears to be closing the gap between himself and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Ohio, a new poll shows.

(Wilfredo Lee, Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio's Tuesday election appears to be up for grabs in both the Republican and Democratic presidential races, according to a new poll.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Monday showed Ohio Gov. John Kasich and real estate mogul Donald Trump tied at 38 percent among likely Ohio GOP primary voters, with the two senators in the race -- Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio -- trailing with 16 percent and 3 percent, respectively. The poll is the second in two days to show the race tied, while the two other most recent polls have shown Kasich with a narrow lead.

The poll also suggested Sen. Bernie Sanders is narrowing the gap in the Demoratic primary race between himself and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton remains up on Sanders 51 percent to 46 percent, but polling conducted earlier in March had shown Clinton leading in Ohio by as much as 30 points. A Quinnipiac University poll released on March 9 had shown Clinton leading by 9 points.

And, the new poll replicates the margin of another fresh poll, released Sunday by Democrat-aligned Public Policy Polling, that showed Clinton leading Sanders in Ohio 46 percent to 41 percent.

"Ohio is a real contest on both sides," Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the poll said in a statement. "Trump and Gov. John Kasich are in a dead heat for the Buckeye State's GOP delegates. Almost as close is the Democratic race where Sen. Bernie Sanders has closed 9-point deficit to the smallest of margins. Sanders has the momentum, but the question is whether he can win as he did in Michigan or just come close as in Iowa."

Ohio has emerged as a key state in the Republican race, where candidates, with the support of party leaders and other Republican elements, hope to deny Trump the nomination. Were Kasich to win Ohio and its 66 delegates, it would make it significantly more difficult for Trump to hit the 1,237 delegate threshold needed to clinch the party's nomination. Kasich, who ranks last among active candidates in the GOP delegate race, has said he will drop out if he does not win his home state.

The Democratic race does not have as strategically high stakes, but a win for Sanders would allow him to continue to build momentum in a race that has been more competitive than political observers had expected. If he's able to win Ohio, it would be Sanders' second victory in a Rust Belt state in the past week -- Sanders defied polls by narrowly beating Clinton in Michigan last Tuesday.

Quinnipiac University surveyed 721 likely Ohio GOP primary voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points, and 543 Ohio likely Democratic primary voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. Live interviewers called land lines and cell phones.

In another Quinnipiac poll released Monday, the university found Trump leading Rubio among primary voters in Florida 41 percent to 25 percent, the latest poll to show Trump leading there by double digits. It's likely that Rubio will drop out if he does not win his home state.

It also showed Clinton leading Sanders among Florida Democratic primary voters, 60 percent to 34 percent.