Another poll is showing Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett in command of the state's gubernatorial race at this point, with double-digit leads in match-ups with the field of little-known Democratic hopefuls.
Corbett leads Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato by 48 percent to 29 percent with 21 percent undecided, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted March 30-April 5.
Corbett leads Auditor General Jack Wagner, 43 percent to 30 percent, with 21 percent undecided.
He leads former Rep. Joe Hoeffel, 50 percent to 28 percent, with 21 percent undecided.
Quinnipiac did not test state Sen. Anthony Williams. In a Public Policy Polling survey, which otherwise tracks closely with the Quinnipiac results, Corbett led by Williams 45 percent to 27 percent with 21 percent undecided. The PPP poll was conducted March 29-April 1.
The percentages of voters who don't know enough about Onorato, Wagner and Hoeffel to have an opinion about them ranges from 66 percent to 75 percent. Ninety-four percent haven't heard enough about Williams to have an opinion.
By contrast, 38 percent say they have not heard enough about Corbett to have an opinion. Of those who expressed one, 47 percent saw him favorably and 13 percent unfavorably.
"Once the primary is over and the Democrats have a candidate, presumably he will be able to introduce himself to the larger electorate and we'll get a better idea of how the race actually stands," said Quinnipiac's Peter Brown. "Corbett is certainly in the enviable position, but the structure of the race will become clearer when he gets into a one-on-one comparison."
The primary is May 18. For the most recent poll on the primary contests, read the March 31-April 5 Quinnipiac survey.
