Independents, Fisher, Brunner, and the latest Quinnipiac Poll...

Most interesting to me from the numbers released today on the Ohio Senate race were Fisher and Brunner's numbers with independents versus Strickland's from the day before.

Fisher beats Portman 32-30. Brunner beats Portman 36-30.

But Kasich beats Strickland 39-35.

That's a 6 point turnaround from Fisher and a 10 point turnaround from Brunner.

So what does it mean? Either 1) Independents are already attaching Portman's name to Bush and it's providing negative connotations; or 2) Independents have yet to attach either Fisher or Brunner to the poisonous Strickland Administration.

Now if you look at Portman's approval ratings, 77% of Independents don't know him. But of those that do, they approve of Portman 18-4. That shows, of the Independents that have heard of him, any efforts to negatively link him to Bush aren't working.

Among the same Independents, they still have favorable opinions of both Fisher and Brunner, but their job disapproval is 5-6 times higher. That shows a vulnerability.

Fisher, as former Director of Development and as Strickland's LG, will be easy to attach to the mess that is the Governor's Administration. Brunner won't be so easy. But that doesn't mean she doesn't have skeletons in her closet.

However, all that may be moot if Brunner isn't able to make up ground fast. With the primary only a few months away, it's important that Brunner have a ridiculously good fundraising period or she may be finished.