By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA Staff Writer
roarty@politicspa.com

A Rasmussen Reports poll released Tuesday shows Joe Sestak closer to Arlen Specter than other recent surveys but still trailing the incumbent in Democratic U.S. Senate primary by 11 points.

Specter leads Sestak 48 percent to 37 percent, according to the poll, which was conducted Monday and surveyed 481 likely Democratic voters. It has a margin of error of 5 percentage points.

Compared to past Rasmussen polls, Sestak has steadily shrunk Specter’s lead. In January, Specter led Sestak by 21 points, in February, 15 points. Sestak’s shrinking deficit seems to run counter to recent reports that suggest his candidacy has struggled to put a dent in Specter, although other polls show Specter retains more than a 20-point lead.

Rasmussen also reported Tuesday that putative Republican U.S. Senate nominee Pat Toomey, for the third consecutive month, leads Specter in a hypothetical general election matchup by 9 points, 49 percent to 40 percent. The poll, conducted Monday, surveyed 1,000 likely voters and has a margin of of error of 3 percentage points.

Recent polling of the potential Specter, Toomey matchup has varied widely.

Tags: Arlen Specter, Arlen Specter for Senate, Joe Sestak, Joe Sestak for Senate, Pat Toomey, Pat Toomey for Senate

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