HEARTLANDERS:

Republican Rob Portman leads Senate race in Ohio (John Whitesides, 8/10/10, Reuters) -

[Ohio Republican Rob] Portman, director of the Office of Budget and Management and the U.S. Trade Representative under former President George W. Bush, leads Fisher 43 percent to 36 percent among likely voters less than three months before the November 2 election for the open Senate seat.

In the race for governor, Republican challenger John Kasich leads incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland by 48 percent to 39 percent among likely voters in Ohio, a critical battleground state that often reflects national voting trends.