By Kevin Zwick
Staff Reporter
Capitolwire
HARRISBURG (Dec. 18) – If you’re wondering how wide open the Democratic contest for governor is, consider this: A guy who isn’t even running is ahead of the field with a 12-point lead against Gov. Tom Corbett, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll.
Former Auditor General Jack Wagner leads Corbett 48-36 percent among those the poll surveyed. Some believe Wagner is considering a run for the Democratic nomination.
Second place goes to U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, the front-runner among announced candidates, who leads Corbett 45-37 percent. The poll finds former DEP Secretary Katie McGinty and York businessman Tom Wolf in a tie leading Corbett 44-37 percent, while State Treasurer Rob McCord rounds out the top-tier candidates with a 42-39 percent lead over Corbett. Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski isn’t far behind with a 41-39 percent lead.
The only candidate Corbett leads is former DEP Secretary John Hanger, 42-37 percent, according to the poll.
The poll, conducted Dec. 11-16 using live interviewers and land lines and cell phones, surveyed 1,601 registered voters with a plus or minus 3 percentage point margin of error.
The Corbett campaign blamed the governor’s sub-par performance on the consistent onslaught of attacks laid out by opponents over the past three years.
“These numbers represent the millions of dollars that have been spent by liberal special interest groups distorting the facts on the air these past three years and in 2014 the Governor will be telling the real story of Pennsylvania moving forward,” said Corbett campaign manager Mike Barley in a statement.
Some more stark news for the governor is his job approval and trustworthiness. Those polled gave Corbett a 36-53 percent approval rating, his worst net score ever for the Q-Poll, the polling memo says.
And while 56-36 percent said he does not deserve re-election and 52-40 percent said that Corbett should not run for re-election, those in his own party believe he deserves re-election, 59-31 percent.
Forty-three percent of poll respondents said Corbett is honest and trustworthy, while 46 percent disagreed with that. Respondents also said, 57-35 percent, that Corbett doesn’t care about their needs and problems.
One bright spot in the poll is 48 percent said the governor is a strong leader, compared to 45 percent who disagreed.
“Pennsylvania voters deliver a big bag of coal to Gov. Tom Corbett and directions to the State House exit as he heads into the holidays with the worst net approval rating he has ever had,” said Tim Malloy, Quinnipiac’s assistant polling director, in the memo. “The governor has 11 months to turn things around, or to hope that the Democrats rip each other apart as they battle for the chance to take on what looks like an easy target.”
Forty-one percent of those polled said they are very or somewhat satisfied with the way things are going in Pennsylvania today, while 57 percent are somewhat or very dissatisfied with how things are going.
The governor received negatives for his handling on a number of issues that are sure to dominate the 2014 election:
• 28-62 percent for handling taxes;
• 33-51 percent for handling health care;
• 33-57 percent for handling the economy:
• 28-62 percent for handling education;
• 26-64 percent for handling government spending;
• 29-50 percent for handling the Penn State situation;
• 27-42 percent for handling issues of special concern to women;
• 34-47 percent for handling transportation.
Another issue to be talked about much next spring will be gambling, as lawmakers are on the hunt for more revenue in what’s shaping up to be a bleak budget season. The Legislature already approved new tavern gaming and plans to continue looking into Keno-style gaming.
The current legal gambling in Pennsylvania is a “good thing,” respondents said, 55-37 percent.
But nearly the same percentage of those polled, 57-39 percent, oppose casino gambling in the town or city where they live, and respondents oppose, 62-33 percent, legalized online gambling in the state.
A large majority of those polled – 70-26 percent – believed increasing the number of casinos and legalizing online gambling will increase gambling addiction in Pennsylvania. They also said, 71-26 percent, that it’s better for people who like to gamble to keep their money in Pennsylvania rather than another state, the poll shows.
