Quinnipac released their first Pennsylvania poll today showing that 62% of voters are optimistic about Governor Tom Wolf (D. PA) so the honeymoon for him isn't over for him. Now next year's U.S. Senate race paints a different picture:
http://blog.pennlive.com/...
Meanwhiie, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., leads likely Democratic challenger Joe Sestak 45 percent to 35 percent in a hypothetical 2016 rematch.
Toomey gets a 43 percent to 25 percent approval rating from Pennsylvania voters, who say 37 percent to 29 percent that he deserves reelection. His favorability rating is 37 percent to 21 percent.
And despite being a known quantity for a while now, nearly two-thirds of voters (64 percent) say they don't know enough about Sestak to form an opinion of him.
Quinny pollsters sampled the opinions of 881 Pennsylvania voters in a three-state poll that also included Florida and Ohio. The Pennsylvania sample had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. - The Patriot-News, 2/10/15
Here are some more details:
http://www.philly.com/...
What the poll does demonstrate, though, is that Toomey retains strong support among Republicans despite several notable moves toward the middle ground (and, theoretically, critical swing voters) since his election in 2010. Among Republicans, 87 percent said they’d vote for Toomey if the election were held today.
Toomey also won 48 percent of independents in the poll, compared to 25 percent for Sestak. Of course, being an incumbent helps -- Toomey is regularly in the news while Sestak is not -- but it also shows that Toomey has a significant level of support among these key voters. Sestak, or any Democratic challenger, would have to work to change their opinions of the incumbent.
Sestak would win support among 68 percent of Democrats, showing that he has work to do among some within his party, but also showing a path for gaining ground. He could have help from the presidential contest, which typically rallies Pennsylvania Democrats to the polls.
Toomey’s personal favorability rating stands at 37 percent favorable to 21 percent unfavorable. His job approval was slightly better: 43 percent approve of how he has done his job against 25 percent who disapprove.
Sestak was seen favorably by 23 percent of voters, against 12 percent who see him unfavorably. The majority -- 64 percent – don’t know enough about him to form an opinion, though both parties will surely be working to change that. - Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/10/15
It's still very early and this poll shows Sestak has a lot of room to grow and to define Toomey by exposing his extremist background. No other Democrat has stepped forward yet in the primary so this is looking a serious rematch for now. Sestak has been getting ready for this rematch for a while now. Click here if you want to get involved and donate to his campaign:
http://joesestak.com/