With Ohio Democratic voters apparently sitting on their hands this election, the party could be headed for an epic defeat in the governor's race. Republican Gov. John Kasich leads Democratic challenger Ed FitzGerald by a 2-to-1 ratio, the first Dispatch Poll of the 2014 election shows. Kasich is favored 59 percent to 29 percent.

With Ohio Democratic voters apparently sitting on their hands this election, the party could be headed for an epic defeat in the governor�s race.

Republican Gov. John Kasich leads Democratic challenger Ed FitzGerald by a 2-to-1 ratio, the first Dispatch Poll of the 2014 election shows. Kasich is favored 59 percent to 29 percent.

In a state where Democratic voters outnumbered Republicans by several percentage points just two years ago, the current percentage of GOP voters who say they will cast a 2014 ballot is 8 points higher than for Democrats.

The FitzGerald campaign acknowledged the problem in a fund-raising plea on Friday that began, �I know you may be thinking about sitting this election out.�

Meanwhile, Kasich campaigned in central Ohio last week asking not just for a victory but for a � mandate� that the rest of the country would notice.

Of the Democrats who do say they will vote, about 1 in 6 intends to support Kasich, the poll shows. FitzGerald is barely winning a third of the voters in his home territory, northeastern Ohio. And he can�t even win a majority of the 62 percent of Ohioans who voted against Senate Bill 5 � a measure strongly advocated by Kasich to curb collective-bargaining rights for public employees � in a referendum three years ago.

If Democrats can�t get their voters to fill out a ballot and FitzGerald does wind up losing by his current 30-point deficit, it would be the second-worst defeat for a major-party gubernatorial candidate in 188 years � topped only in 1994 when Gov. George V. Voinovich pulverized state Sen. Rob Burch of Dover by nearly 47 percentage points.

The one bright spot, if you can call it that, for Democrats is that FitzGerald doesn�t appear in danger of dropping below 20 percent of the vote, which would remove them from their legal status as a �major party� in Ohio.

The Cuyahoga County executive clearly was hurt by last month�s revelations that Westlake police found him alone in a parked car with a woman not his wife about 4:30 one morning about two years ago, and that he had driven for 10 years without a regular driver�s license � both stories broken by The Dispatch.

Forty-four percent say they are less likely to vote for FitzGerald because of the parked-car incident, while 51 percent � including nearly 1 in 4 Democrats � say the lack of a driver�s license decreases their inclination to back the challenger.

Poll respondent Tom Nichols of Sylvania Township near Toledo isn�t buying FitzGerald�s explanations for his troubles with vehicles.

�On thesurface, there is nothingwrong with beingin a car witha woman not your spouse, but there appears to be more to this story that we are not hearing or made public, which to me raises a red flag,� said Nichols, 56, who owns an insurance agency.

�I am sorry, (but) driving for 10 years without a license? He had to have known. As an insurance agent, when a client of mine has an expired license, my insurance carriers always advise me of the expiration when it happens. People may forget for a few months, at most a year, but 10?Sorry, not buying his excuse.�

Retiree Mike Young, 62, of Toledo, is on the same page: �To me it just smacks of what politicians think they can get away with. He thinks he�s above the law, and being a former law-enforcement agent he should know better. And as far as getting caught with a woman not his wife, well I think that speaks volumes about his character or lack thereof.�

But Columbus lawyer Gregory M. Kostelac, 64, said FitzGerald�s actions aren�t changing his vote.

�Marital fidelity and inattention to driving privileges are irrelevant when it comes to how one governs from the top and the people they choose to help them govern,� Kostelac said.

He said he backs FitzGerald �because he is qualified and can abolish the Chamber of Commerce state government of Kasich, at least at the top of the executive branch.�

Retired public-school teacher Lytle T. Davis, 79, of Shaker Heights, said, �These (car-related) issues are minor compared to extreme positions Republicans take on taxes, funding schools, women�s health, public employees and labor unions. Also, gun possession in public places.�

Close to a majority of Ohio voters say the state�s economy is getting better, and two-thirds of that group is voting for Kasich.

�Ohio appears on therecoverypath, and I believe Kasich�s policies on taxes have strengthenedOhio,� said Brett A. Jordan, 44, an electrical engineer from Xenia.

Brian Batch, a 38-year-old business director from Columbus, said, �I met Gov. Kasich 20 years ago. I found him � and continue to find him � to be a man of integrity, a rarity among most of today�s high-profile politicians.

�... Any politician that seeks to lower taxes, broaden revenue streams, and cut government spending is seeking to improve Ohio�s economy. Kasich has done all three.�

Jeanne Staten, 76, a retiree who lives in the Wyandot County village of Harpster, said, �Kasich has been a favorite of mine for a long time. I think he tries to feel the heart of the Ohio people and do what he thinks is best for America. �

The margin of sampling error for the mail poll, taken Sept. 3 through Friday, is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.

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Kasich runaway

Gov. John Kasich has piled up a huge lead as Ohio voters express doubts about Democrat Ed FitzGerald.



Governor

> Ed FitzGerald (D) ... 29%

> John Kasich (R) ..... 59%

> Anita Rios (G) ........ 3%

> Don�t know ........... 10%



Do you think Ohio�s economy is�

> Getting better ... 46%

>Getting worse ........ 18%

> Staying about the same .. 36%



As you may know, police in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake found Ed FitzGerald and a woman not his wife alone in a parked car at 4:30 a.m. in October 2012. FitzGerald and the woman say nothing inappropriate happened. Does this incident�

> Make you more likely to vote for FitzGerald for governor ... 2%

> Make you less likely to vote for FitzGerald for governor .... 44%

> Not make any difference in your vote for governor .... 54%



As you also may know, Ed FitzGerald did not have a regular Ohio driver�s license for 10 years until late 2012. Does this�

> Make you more likely to vote for FitzGerald for governor ... 2%

> Make you less likely to vote for FitzGerald for governor .... 51%

> Not make any difference in your vote for governor .... 47%



Dispatch mail poll of 1,185 registered voters from Sept. 3 through Friday, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points. Note: Percentages might not add up to 100 because of rounding.

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drowland@dispatch.com

@DispatchPoliticsNow