With a newspaper poll showing the race in Ohio tied at 49 percent over the weekend and a new Rasmussen poll out today that shows Romney up 50-48 among likely voters, momentum in the Buckeye State is on Romney’s side. But as Ohio’s State Director Scott Jennings explains in a memo, momentum for Romney is being seen in more than just the polls, extending to grassroots voter contact, newspaper endorsements, events and early-voting statistics as well. The state of the race in Ohio is now a dead heat, “with Romney tracking toward victory on Election Day,” according to Jennings. Gov. John Kasich agrees.
On NBC’s Meet the Press, Kasich told David Gregory on Sunday that he’s confident Romney will take Ohio:
“The first debate gave people a chance to see, well, you know, they thought, well Romney is smart, he knows all this and that, but he doesn’t get me. In that first debate, I believe that he was able to connect with people. And they said you know, maybe he does get me. And-- and that was an important part of why there’s such momentum in the state of Ohio right now. Look, it’s very close, but I believe right now we are currently ahead. Internal show is currently ahead. I honestly think that-- that Romney is going to carry Ohio. And, you know, I haven’t been saying this. I now believe it’s going to happen.”
When asked if we’ll know the outcome of Ohio on election night Kasich said yes, adding that the election will not be as close as people are predicting.
“Yeah, I mean, I-- I don’t know. It’s going to be very close. But yes, I do think that we will know before the end of the night. Because I-- I tell you something, the independent voters are trending heavily towards Mitt Romney. And with those numbers like that, it-- it pretty well assures me we are going to know. I’m not sure the election is going to be as close as what everybody is talking about today. And I’m not saying that to do spin. I'm telling that because that’s what I really do believe.”