By Kevin Zwick
Staff Reporter
Capitolwire
HARRISBURG (Jan. 29) – Just over half of Pennsylvania registered voters say Gov. Tom Corbett doesn’t deserve to be re-elected in 2014, according to the latest poll from Quinnipiac University.
Corbett doesn’t deserve to be re-elected voters say, 51-31 percent, including 54-24 percent among women and 48-38 percent among men, according to the poll.
The poll, a snapshot of voter attitude toward Corbett at the middle of his first term, also finds Corbett receiving unenthusiastic support among Pennsylvania Republicans, with only 49 percent saying he deserves to be re-elected.
Pennsylvania voters also gave Corbett a poor job approval rating, as 42 percent disapprove of his handling of the job, while 36 percent approve – a slide from November when the Quinnipiac Poll showed 38 percent disapproved and 40 percent approved.
Among the job approval ratings, women disapprove 45-31 percent while men approve 41-37 percent. Republicans gave a tepid approval 52-25 percent, while disapproval is 57-24 percent among Democrats and 39-36 percent among independents.
The poll contacted 1,221 registered voters Jan. 22-27, with a margin of error, plus or minus 2.8 percent.
Tim Malloy, assistant polling director, said there is no strong base of support for Corbett among any income or age group, or in any region of the state.
“It’s halftime in Gov. Tom Corbett’s first term and if he were running a football team instead of a state, he’d fire his offensive coordinator,” said Malloy. “Gov. Corbett has hit the 50 percent approval rating only once so far, mainly because of his bad grades from women.”
Speaking of football, the poll also delves into voter sentiment regarding Corbett’s handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse investigation at Penn State University, and the governor’s subsequent lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association regarding sanctions.
Sandusky is serving 30-60 years in prison for sexually abusing boys while he was assistant football coach at Penn State. The ensuing scandal resulted in the firing of famed late head football coach Joe Paterno, while three university administrators are facing criminal charges.
The state’s investigation, which began under Corbett as attorney general, was the focal point of the 2012 state attorney general election, where Corbett was criticized for slow-walking the investigation – a claim he adamantly denies.
Regardless, voters disapprove 50-26 percent of the way Corbett has handled the Penn State investigation over the last few years. The number is even higher among households where someone has attended or currently attends Penn State, 59-23 percent disapprove, the polls shows.
Voters approve 43-37 percent of the Corbett’s federal lawsuit against the NCAA seeking to overturn the sanctions against Penn State. The sanctions include a $60 million fine, postseason bowl bans and limited athletic scholarships.
“Voters disapprove of the way Gov. Corbett has handled the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State over the last few years, but support Corbett’s lawsuit targeting the NCAA for what they believe are too-harsh sanctions of the University,” Malloy said.
Fifty-three percent of voters say the sanctions are too severe, while 13 percent say they are not severe enough and 28 percent say they are appropriate. Sixty-four percent of Penn State households say the sanctions are too severe.
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