Corbett's lead growing in Pennsylvania gubernatorial poll

Corbett's lead growing in Pennsylvania gubernatorial poll

By Brad Bumsted

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

HARRISBURG — Republican Tom Corbett holds a commanding 54-39 percent lead over Democrat Dan Onorato in the Pennsylvania governor's race in part by decisively winning support of independent voters, a poll shows.

The Quinnipiac University poll released today measured the candidates' support among likely voters and found Corbett with a 56-29 percent lead among independents.

"Attorney General Tom Corbett is in a strong position to be Pennsylvania's next governor," said Peter Brown, assistant director of Quinnipiac's polling institute. "Not only is his lead substantial, but his supporters are slightly less likely to say they might change their minds than are Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato's."

Only 7 percent of voters say they are undecided, the poll found.

The polling institute surveyed 684 Pennsylvania likely voters from Sept. 15-19. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

For Onorato to win it would probably require a "sea change" among independent voters, Brown said.

Corbett scores better with voters on rebuilding the state's economy, dealing with projected billion-dollar deficits in state government and sharing their values, according to the poll.

Among Republicans, Corbett leads Onorato 88-9 percent. He trails 84-10 percent among Democrats.

The poll identified a gender gap, with Corbett winning 65-29 percent among men and Onorato leading 52-39 percent among women.

Because the poll surveyed likely voters, the results can't be compared to earlier Quinnipiac polls that sampled registered voters, the institute said.

Only 2 percent of Pennsylvania voters said they are "very satisfied" with how things are going in Pennsylvania though 34 percent are "somewhat satisfied." The poll also found 64 percent of voters are "somewhat dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied."