CLEVELAND, Ohio - Internal polling from the Ohio Democratic Party obtained by cleveland.com shows a head-to-head matchup between ex-consumer watchdog Richard Cordray and Attorney General Mike DeWine in the race for governor is nearly even, though DeWine still leads.

The poll was administered by Public Policy Polling, a firm typically used by Democrats, and was taken from Jan. 22-23. The sample size was 585 voters with a margin of error of four percentage points. Answers were collected via automated telephone interviews.

The results obtained by cleveland.com did not contain any primary election data and only included three head-to-head matchups between Democratic candidates and DeWine, a Republican.

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper confirmed the poll was authentic, but declined to comment on it.

DeWine led Cordray 45-44, within the margin of error, while 11 percent were undecided.

DeWine also bested former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich 48-37 and former state Rep. Connie Pillich 47-35.

The internal Democratic polling shows different results than a poll unaffiliated with any campaign or party released Thursday by the 1984 Society. The group includes Republican lobbyist Neil Clark, who represents the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow online charter school.

That poll showed DeWine up on Cordray 49-28, with 23 percent undecided.

Kyle Kondik, managing editor for Sabato's Crystal Ball and a Cleveland-area native, said the differences in the two surveys shouldn't be surprising.

"The point is that the 1984 Society's poll is probably closer to being a nonpartisan poll than the PPP one is," Kondik said. "I think the fact that the Democratic poll shows DeWine leading probably means DeWine is leading. Maybe not by as much as the other poll shows, but that would make sense given his longstanding tenure in Ohio politics and the name ID advantages that come from that."

Kondik added there is bound to be volatility in polling more than four months out from the primary.

"It's noteworthy that in the Democrats' own poll, DeWine is still leading. It's basically a tie," Kondik said. "But if you put the two polls together, it shows DeWine is leading, but there is a path to victory for the Democratic Party."

Taken together, the two polls could indicate a ceiling for DeWine in the 40s.

The demographic sample sizes in each of the polls were slightly different. The 1984 Society poll might be estimating a more conservative electorate than the ODP one, Kondik said.

The Democratic Party poll actually showed Republican President Donald Trump as more popular than the 1984 Society poll, though the questions were worded differently and the results were within the margin of error of each other.

Trump's job approval according to the 1984 poll was 43 percent approving and 52 percent disapproving. The Democratic Party poll asked for favorability, and showed Trump with a 46 percent favorable rating and 54 percent unfavorable rating.

ODP Internal Gubernatorial Poll by srichardson on Scribd