Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, can expect a tough 2010 challenge from Republican John Kasich, according to a Rasmussen Reports survey conducted Sept. 23.

The poll of 500 likely voters gives Kasich, a former House member (1983-2001) from central Ohio, 46 percent of the vote and Strickland 45 percent, making this likely November 2010 pairing a dead heat. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Strickland and President Obama have nearly identically mediocre approval ratings, with 50 percent of voters saying they somewhat disapprove or strongly disapprove of their job performances.

Republican Jim Renacci is challenging freshman Rep. John Boccieri -- whose 2008 open-seat victory in Ohio's 16th District gave the Democrats control of a seat that had been held for 36 years by retired Republican Ralph Regula.

"It's time to put the people of the 16th District back to work. Creating jobs will be my number one priority," Renacci said in a statement his campaign issued Tuesday.

Renacci is a certified public accountant and is president and general manager of the Columbus Destroyers arena football team. He also is former mayor of Wadsworth, a community of about 20,000 residents in southeastern Medina County, one of four counties wholly or partly in the northeastern Ohio district.

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner has his hands full working to shape the Republican response to President Obama's legislative agenda. But Boehner at least no longer has to worry about a 2010 GOP primary challenge by the sheriff of his home county in western Ohio.

Richard K. Jones, the elected sheriff in Butler County, has decided to not challenge Boehner after mulling the possibility for a few weeks, the Dayton Daily News reported. Boehner is expected to seek a 10th House term next year in Ohio's 8th District north of Cincinnati and north and west of Dayton.

"After extensive review and discussions with various individuals in the political and private sectors, and given the current economic conditions and local needs, I have decided to continue as sheriff of Butler County," Jones said in a statement.

In a sign of Republican concern over Sen. Richard Burr's re-election chances, Burr's friend and Senate colleague, John McCain, is now running Google ads pumping the North Carolina freshman.

As first spotted by the Charlotte News and Observer, a Google search of "Richard Burr" brings up a sponsored link from McCain's Country First political action committee -- "Richard Burr NC Senator," it reads, followed by "Join John McCain's Country First to Support Candidates like Burr!"

The link leads to the PAC's Supported Candidates page.

A bill that would set mortgage standards and aims to curb predatory lending practices was easily passed by the House Thursday on a 300-114 vote, with the support of all but three participating members of the Democratic majority, as well as 60 Republicans.

And the measure proved popular with members from partisan swing districts.

Of the 34 Republican lawmakers from districts that split their tickets to back Democrat Barack Obama in the 2008 election, 25 (or 74 percent) voted for the bill.

The bill was drew much less support, on a percentage basis, from members whose districts went Republican both for president and the House last year. "Aye" votes were cast by just 35 of the 144 Republicans (24 percent) from districts that favored Republican John McCain over Obama.

It looks like the 2010 governor's race in Ohio will pit two former U.S. House members against each other.

Republican John Kasich, a former chairman of the House Budget Committee, on Friday filed paperwork to begin raising money for an all-but-announced campaign against Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, who's seeking a second term that followed his own lengthy House tenure.

Kasich signed a "Designation of Treasurer" document from the Ohio Secretary of State's office that establishes the campaign committee "Kasich for Ohio."

The National Republican Congressional Committee isn't letting Democrats take a break from Washington politics over the spring recess. The party committee is going on the air this week with a mix of television ads, radio ads and robocalls accusing 43 House Democrats in swing districts of supporting "a reckless spending spree" by voting for the recently passed budget resolution (H Con Res 85).

The ads -- an example of which, targeting Rep. Zack Space of Ohio, is on YouTube -- accuse the Democrats in question of joining Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to push through more than $1.2 trillion in new spending since the 111th Congress began.