Democrat Tom Wolf continues to maintain a wide lead over Gov. Tom Corbett, 49 percent to 24 percent, with 25 percent undecided, according to a Franklin & Marshall College poll released today.
The race looks largely the same as it did in June, when the college’s Center for Opinion Research released its last poll, despite Corbett spending more than twice as much as Wolf on TV ads since July 1.
More than 80 percent of the poll respondents reported seeing ads for both candidates.
When respondents thought about ads they’d seen concerning Corbett, 18 percent associated them with negative information about Wolf. For ads regarding Wolf, 15 percent remembered that Wolf moved his business to Delaware. It seems that Corbett’s ads featuring the Delaware assertion, such as “More and Less” and “Hyper Tour,” have made an impression on voters.
Respondents said education is the most important issue they will consider when voting for governor, followed by taxes and the economy.
The importance of education in this race may not be a positive for Corbett. Of those who believe the governor is doing a fair or poor job, the top reason named was cuts to education.
Also, according to the most recent campaign contribution figures, two teachers’ unions are among Wolf’s top 10 donors.
A majority of the poll’s respondents believe Pennsylvania is on the wrong track and only 26 percent believe Corbett deserves to be re-elected.
The poll was based on interviews with 520 registered Pennsylvania voters conducted from Aug. 18-25. The poll had a margin of error of 4.3 percentage points.
You can view the entire poll here [PDF].
Reach Eric Holmberg at 412-315-0266 or at eholmberg@publicsource.org.
