Mandel closing the gap on Brown in Ohio

In possibly the most surprising poll in the last few weeks, a new Rasmussen poll shows Republican Josh Mandel down just 4 points to heavy favorite Sherrod Brown in Ohio. This result is absolutely shocking considering the last poll done in this race last month showed Brown up by 16 points. Mandel has been criticized as being young, inexperience and not ready for the big leagues. He is viewed as a rising star because of his fundraising abilities, but the thoughts in both parties was that he would not have a chance against Brown.

Sherrod Brown suddenly has a fight on his hands and with just over 3 months until the election there is plenty of time for Brown to pass him. Expect big names to come into Ohio for both candidates as this could be one of the most closely watched Senate battles in the country.

I am interested to see what this means for the Presidential race, as Mandel has consistently been polling short of Romney in Ohio. The question is whether Mandel's rise has come because of name recognition or because of a shift in the Independents and moderate Democrats.