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Quinnipiac Poll: Wolf Opens Widest Lead Over Corbett

Wolf
Wolf

Businessman Tom Wolf has the widest lead of any Democrat hoping to face Governor Tom Corbett, thanks to superior name ID resulting from his barrage of television ads.

Wolf leads Corbett by 19%, 52% to 33%. It’s a 12 point net gain since the pollster’s December survey.

Former Pa. Auditor General Jack Wagner leads Corbett by 7%, 44% to 37%.

State Treasurer Rob McCord leads Corbett by 7%, 43% to 36%.

Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz leads Corbett by 6%, 44% to 38%.

Former DEP Secretary John Hanger leads Corbett by 3%, 40% to 37%.

Former DEP Secretary Katie McGinty leads Corbett by 2%, 40% to 38%.

By a 16 point margin, 52% to 36%, respondents said they disapprove of Corbett’s job as Governor.

Wolf takes a slightly higher percentage of Democrats than his primary opponents do against Corbett. But his real edge comes among independents, who he leads 49% to 34%, and Republicans. 22% of GOP voters say they support Wolf over Corbett; each other Democrat takes 10% or 12%.

Wolf’s name ID has surged 36 points since Quinnipiac’s March survey, following weeks during which he was the only candidate on television. 51% of respondents had an opinion of Wolf (42% favorable).

Polls from Franklin & Marshall and Harper Polling this week mirrored the Wolf surge.

Only 33% had an opinion of Schwartz, his closest competitor. 32% had an opinion of Wagner. 21% had an opinion of McCord. 17% had a opinion of McGinty. 14% had an opinion on Hanger.

“Tom Wolf springs out of the pack to seize the lead from other Democrats snapping at the heels of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

“We have eight months and change and we don’t know what kind of damage Democrats will inflict on each other in a primary campaign, but Wolf is the man of the hour.”

From February 19 – 24, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,405 registered Pa. voters via live interviews on land lines and cell phones from Feb. 19 to 24. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.6%.

8 Responses

  1. I am surprised that Hanger is running so low in the Democratic polls. He announced early and has defined his positions well. He would probably be the best candidate regarding safe regulations and optimizing jobs and fees/tax revenues from fracking, Perhaps our elections are all about TV exposure rather than analysis of candidates and their positions on issues. And TV exposure is all about money.

  2. “Anyone surprised that a Quinnipiac poll would result in a Democrat leading a Republican?!”

    No. Quinnipiac is one of the more accurate pollsters. But, in this case, you won’t find any reputable pollster showing Corbett ahead. He is THE MOST vulnerable governor in the county by every polling.

  3. I think to put the polls in perspective, Quinnipiac should really run Corbett’s numbers against a dead-cat.

    ““We have eight months and change and we don’t know what kind of damage Democrats will inflict on each other in a primary campaign..”

    Umm.. not as much damage as having “Tom Corbett” continuing to be the worst Governor in the US.

  4. It is a bad time to look ahead and conduct polling about the general election before we’ve finished with the primaries. Most people can’t think that far ahead, but in a broad, generalized manner. I agree, I think these polls are a referendum on Corbett and do not speak to the strength of any particular candidate against him.

  5. From the PG:….

    “Today, Gov. Corbett might tie a few possible Democratic challengers, but he beats no one.”

    Voters said by a margin of 55–34 percent that Gov. Corbett does not deserve reelection.

    Gov. Corbett has a negative 36–52 percent approval rating, nearly matching his worst net score ever in the poll.

    Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2014/02/26/Poll-shows-Corbett-trails-Wolf-five-other-Democrat-challengers-in-his-bid-for-re-election/stories/201402260123#ixzz2uRLR5b00

  6. The take-away I get from this is not any individual Democratic lead over Corbett, but 36, 37, 38 — Corbett is basically getting his approval rating against anyone. Pennsylvania has decided to fire him, but undecided on the mostly unknown replacements.

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