Quinnipiac offers a strange contradiction in their latest poll:

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland holds a slight 43 – 38 percent lead over Republican challenger John Kasich, statistically unchanged from 44 – 38 percent in April, and 43 – 38 percent in March, at least partly because Kasich remains unknown to half of Ohio voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today…
Despite Strickland’s lead in the horse race, voters disapprove 54 – 33 percent of his handling of the economy and give him a 52 – 31 percent failing grade on handling the state budget. Voters say 48 – 31 percent that the Governor has not kept campaign promises. These are Strickland’s lowest scores on all three questions.

I think Kasich will gain ground quickly as Ohioans tune into the race more closely in the fall. But you might think that the voters’ low opinion of Strickland would translate to a smaller base of actual voting support . . .