In Ohio, Senate hopeful Rob Portman started running commercials denouncing cap-and-trade on Tuesday, then Pat Toomey followed suit on that issue (among others) yesterday, while also hitting Joe Sestak on energy at a Neville Island press conference.

Here's some backdrop on such GOP messaging, via National Journal:

Recent polling data from a GOP group suggest that Dems face an uphill battle in selling voters on their arguments over the country's health care, energy and fiscal challenges leading up to the Nov. elections.

Resurgent Republic, a 501(c)(4) group headed by ex-RNC Chair Ed Gillespie, GOP pollster Whit Ayers and GOP consultant Leslie Sanchez, is highlighting a poll they commissioned that tests messages on a number of policy proposals and finds widespread support for the GOP message on various aspects of those 3 issues.

Here are a couple sample questions (with choices from the 1,000 likely voters surveyed) by the Republican firm:

Congressman A says we should adopt a carbon tax on all industries to deal with climate change, and offset the higher energy costs by cutting payroll taxes for all employees.

Congressman B says there are a lot more important problems to deal with than climate change, and employees will never get enough money in a tax cut to offset the higher energy costs that will result from a carbon tax.

Congressman A 38%
Congressman B 54

Congressman A says the Gulf oil spill shows the danger and enormous environmental damage of offshore oil drilling. We should stop any new offshore wells from being developed.

Congressman B says we should not let one bad accident in the Gulf divert us from the importance of more offshore drilling to create jobs and make us less dependent on foreign oil.

Congressman A 37%
Congressman B 53