Two polls are out in Pennsylvania on a prospective GOP Senate
nomination fight between Senator Arlen Specter and his 2004
primary challenger, former Congressman Pat Toomey. They are
front-page news across the state today in an
AP story.
The Quinnipiac University poll (Connecticut based) shows Toomey
leading Specter 41-27 among Pennsylvania Republicans, with 28 per
cent undecided. The poll was head-to-head, leaving out recently
announced candidate Peg Luksik, a pro-life activist. The poll
also says almost half of the GOP electorate has an unfavorable
opinion of Specter, while 45 percent of state voters as a whole
have a favorable opinion of Specter -- this down from a 56
percent rating in November. Quinnipiac interviewed 1,056
Pennsylvania voters between March 19-March 23rd. The sampling
error was plus or minus 4.8 percentage points for 423 GOP voters
polled.
Poll number two is the Franklin and Marshall College survey,
which threw Luksik into the mix. Specter won this poll, with 33
percent to 18 percent for Toomey and 2 percent for Luksik. The
F&M poll interviewed 586 voters, including 211 Republicans.
The sampling error for the Republican voters in the poll, taken
between March 17-March 22, was plus or minus 6.7 percent.
The story, by reporter Peter Jackson, notes that the results were
announced one day after Specter announced he would be opposing
the so-called "Card Check" bill that would make it easier for
workers to unionize by shutting down the secret ballot process.
Radio ads have been running in the state asking Pennsylvanians to
contact Specter and demand that he oppose Card Check.
In 2004, Toomey lost to Specter in the GOP primary by 17,000
votes out of 1 million cast. It was Specter's toughest primary
fight since winning his first primary for the Senate in 1980. His
recent vote as one of only three GOP votes in the entire Congress
supporting the Obama stimulus plan has angered many state
Republicans. Toomey, thought to be considering a race for the
open seat for governor (Governor Ed Rendell is barred from a
third term), has recently had second thoughts, indicating in
press reports that he is now considering a second race for the
Senate.
Specter's card check opposition comes a handful of days before
the state's conservatives gather in Harrisburg for the annual
Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, where they will hear from
Toomey and radio talk show host and columnist Michael Reagan. The
PLC has become a popular statewide version of the annual
Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
Why would anyone pay attention to a poll pitting Toomey against
Specter when Toomey hasn't announced his intention to
run.....unless Toomey is "testing the political waters"? At least
the Franklin and Marshall poll included the only genuine
conservative who has announced, namely Peg Luksik. Can it be that
Toomey ("Pat, who?") is less of a household name than Peg Luksik?
Anne Zelnosky| 3.26.09 @ 11:49AM
Why would anyone pay attention to a poll pitting Toomey against Specter when Toomey hasn't announced his intention to run.....unless Toomey is "testing the political waters"? At least the Franklin and Marshall poll included the only genuine conservative who has announced, namely Peg Luksik. Can it be that Toomey ("Pat, who?") is less of a household name than Peg Luksik?