Dems Fret Pa., Ohio Troubles Will Trickle Down

Pennsylvania and Ohio represent key swing states in the battle for control of Congress. And Democrats are worried that their weakness at the top of the ticket (senator and governor) in those two states will filter down to hurt congressional candidates, Roll Call reports.

Recent Quinnipiac polls show Republicans with double-digit leads in the governor’s race in both states and the Senate race in Ohio. In the Pennsylvania Senate contest, former Republican Rep. Pat Toomey leads Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak by 7 percentage points.

That’s not good news for Democratic congressional candidates.

“There’s no question it’s a problem,” a Democratic strategist who has worked in both states told Roll Call. “When the top of the ticket is hurting, it absolutely makes it more difficult for a Democrat in a swing district to win. Voters will be looking at the gubernatorial race and going, ‘If [Ohio Gov. Ted] Strickland is down 10 points, why the heck am I going to go out and vote?’”