U.S. Senate Democratic primary
Specter: 53 percent
Sestak: 32 percent
Undecided: 15 percent

Democratic gubernatorial primary
Dan Onorato: 20 percent
Joe Hoeffel: 15 percent
Jack Wagner 13 percent
Anthony Williams: 5 percent
Undecided: 47 percent

Republican gubernatorial primary
Tom Corbett: 58 percent
Sam Rohrer: 7 percent

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Arlen Specter’s lead over opponent Joe Sestak among likely Democratic voters exceeds the number of them who are undecided, a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday showed, underscoring the tough task facing the challenger in the campaigns’ final six weeks.

Specter leads Sestak 53 percent to 32 percent with just 15 percent undecided, the poll reported.

“With less than six weeks until the May 18 primary, Senator Arlen Specter looks to be in solid shape for the Democratic nomination,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “Not only would Sestak have to win every undecided vote, he also would have to take away some who say they are for Specter. While that is certainly possible, it is a steep hill for Sestak to climb because Specter is such a known quantity to Pennsylvania Democrats, who generally like him.”

Sestak’s campaign strategy has essentially boiled down to what will be a late campaign media blitz fueled by the more than $5 million he had on hand to start the year. The poll did report that 39 percent of Specter’s supporters said they might change their mind before the primary, compared to just 33 percent for Sestak.

The incumbent’s 20-point edge over Sestak is also consistent with most other polls of the race.

In the Democratic gubernatorial primary, the story continues to be about the voters who haven’t made up their minds, which, according to the poll, is 47 percent of them. Onorato, the race’s front-runner and biggest fundraiser, leads the four-man field by drawing 20 percent of the vote, the survey showed.

“Dan Onorato remains slightly ahead as he has since the campaign began, but his margin is so small and the undecided vote so large that at this point the race is a three-way toss-up,” Brown said. “With the candidates so unknown and just under half the voters undecided almost anything can happen, although history tells us in situations like this one, the winner will be the candidate with the largest and most effective television ad campaign and ground operation to bring out their vote … this is clearly a race that is yet to be decided.”

As of Wednesday, Onorato and Williams have both hit the TV airwaves.

On the other side of the field, Corbett holds a commanding lead over Rohrer, 58 percent to 7 percent, results that show a higher percentage of decided voters than other survey on the race.

It called Rohrer’s campaign against the attorney general a “token one at best.”