HARRISBURG, Pa. (Legal Newsline) - If a new poll holds true, Democrat Tom Wolf should have no problem defeating incumbent Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett in November.
On May 20, Wolf beat out three other Democrats, which included U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, to win his party's nomination.
The Pennsylvania businessman landed nearly 58 percent of the total vote, giving him the right to face Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, who is also the state's former attorney general, in the November general election.
According to a Wednesday Quinnipiac survey, Wolf tops Corbett by a commanding 53-33 percent and outscores the Republican incumbent on every measure.
"The election is five months away, but Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett looks like easy prey for Democratic challenger Tom Wolf," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll.
"When only 23 percent of the electorate says their families are better off now than they were four years ago, the crisis of confidence reverberates through the State House."
The poll shows Pennsylvania voters disapprove 55-35 percent of the job Corbett is doing and say 58-33 percent that he does not deserve to be re-elected. The governor gets a negative 29-50 percent favorability rating, compared to Wolf's 46-14 percent favorability, with 38 percent who don't know enough about him to form an opinion.
In an open-ended question allowing for any answer, 30 percent of Pennsylvania voters who disapprove of Corbett cite education as the main reason, while eight percent point to fracking and the environment.
Among voters who approve of the governor, 19 percent cite the state budget, finances and taxes, while 12 percent cite the economy and jobs, the poll shows.
Reach David Yates at elections@legalnewsline.com.
Poll shows Pa. governor's re-election bid in trouble
