More good news today out of Pennsylvania courtesy of Franklin & Marshall University’s latest poll:
Democratic incumbents Gov. Tom Wolf and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey are cruising to re-election right now over their respective Republican challengers but plenty of time remains before the fall election, according to a new poll.
A Franklin & Marshall College Poll, publicly released Thursday, shows Wolf leads Scott Wagner, a businessman and former state senator, by 19 percentage points among registered voters. Wolf garnered 48 percent of support compared to Wagner’s 29 percent.
In the U.S. Senate battle, Casey leads U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta by 17 percentage points (44 percent to 27 percent).
It was the first statewide poll since the May primary election decided which Republicans would face Wolf and Casey in the Nov. 6 general election.
Since Wagner became the official GOP candidate, Wolf’s re-election lead increased 10 percentage points.
Here’s some more info:
Wolf's favorability and job performance remained steady compared to the last F&M poll in March, which showed higher numbers for him than at any previous point in his term.
About half of voters, 49 percent, said they viewed Wolf somewhat or strongly favorably. And 45 percent said he was doing an “excellent" or “good" job.
At the same time, more voters than not — 45 percent to 39 percent — believe that Pennsylvania is “headed in the right direction," according to the poll. The last poll, in March, was the first time since 2009 that more voters said “right direction” compared to “wrong direction.”
The poll also found that more Democrats (62 percent) than Republicans (50 percent) are “very interested” in this year's midterm elections — though arguments can be made that the current enthusiasm won’t necessarily indicate voter turnout, Madonna said.
Either way, Madonna said Wagner has an uphill battle in the coming months.
“What's going to happen is you're going to find Wagner in particular is going to really ratchet up the criticism,” Madonna said. “I think we're going to see a profoundly negative campaign. I don't think there's going to be any doubt about that. For Wagner to win he has to find something that the voters care about."
Click here for the full results.
Wolf has certainly earned his re-election. He’s been pushing forward a progressive agenda:
Yesterday, Governor Tom Wolf signed SB234 into law, a clean energy funding bill allowing municipalities across Pennsylvania to establish Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) programs, helping businesses finance investments in energy efficiency on their buildings. Specifically, the law – the first new PACE bill in the Northeast in six years – is designed to ensure that owners of agricultural, commercial and industrial properties can obtain low-cost, long-term financing for energy efficiency, water conservation and renewable energy upgrades.
"Commercial PACE is a valuable tool for the small business and property owners of Pennsylvania. Ygrene applauds state leadership for creating a win-win for the state's economy and the environment. With Governor Wolf's signature, this bipartisan C-PACE bill will unlock private capital for building owners to make critical improvements to their property, leading to reduced energy costs and money savings they can ultimately invest back into their business and employees. Ygrene looks forward to working with state and local leaders to ensure the program's success," said Mike Lemyre, Senior Vice President at Ygrene.
The business of energy efficiency is already booming in Pennsylvania. Currently, it accounts for more than 62,000 jobs and is growing upwards of 10 percent each year. SB234 will enable local governments in the Commonwealth to set up PACE programs for the commercial sector, allow for public-private partnerships, attract private capital to support local government sponsored PACE programs, and create local jobs. Additionally, over the next three years, Ygrene anticipates investing up to $150 million in Pennsylvania. Since 2013, Ygrene's C-PACE financing has supported over 1,000 jobs and led to $146 million in utility savings for property owners. The full list of jurisdictions where Ygrene's C-PACE program has been approved can be found here.
He continues to fight for workers all over the state:
Josh Knunckle is a single father working as a security guard and stretching every dollar.
“To pay for groceries, pay for bills, pay for rent and its terrible to struggle,” he said.
Those prices continue to rise while Knunckle’s paycheck crawls.
Raising the minimum wage has been a quest of Gov. Tom Wolf since he came into office, and he tweeted Wednesday morning: “….the PA legislature hasn’t given workers a raise in 9 yrs. More than half the nation has raised the minimum wages including all of Pa’s neighbors – it’s time for PA to #RaiseTheWage”
“You have to treat your workers fairly,” he said during a raise the minimum wage event at Wigle Whiskey in Pittsburgh’s Strip District two years ago. “There’s a moral issue there. But there’s also a practical issue. Makes good business sense.”
That same day, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto declared, “No Pittsburgher who works 40 hours a week should be forced to live in poverty, and that’s really what $7.25 is — $15,000 a year before taxes.”
Peduto began a progressive increase for city workers to $15 an hour in 2015. He has also called on other employers to follow suit.
And always proves to be a clever campaigner:
Braddock Mayor John Fetterman has always been characterized as unconventional candidate: The tattooed Harvard grad and middle-class champion who might as well be Pennsylvania's own Incredible Hulk.
When that sense of novelty becomes your selling point, you might as well take it to the bank—or maybe the Jos. A. Bank, or something.
Less than a month after defeating embattled Lt. Governor Mike Stack in the Democratic primary election, Fetterman is already campaigning alongside incumbent Gov. Tom Wolf, who appears on track to face Republican challenger Scott Wagner in November's gubernatorial election.
They're off to a brilliant start.
Governor Wolf released a campaign ad on Wednesday afternoon that shrewdly riffs on the long-running FXX series, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
Meanwhile, the “mini-Trump” needs this clown to give him a boost:
Vice President Pence is scheduled to visit Philadelphia next week for a fund-raiser alongside GOP gubernatorial nominee Scott Wagner, in another event putting President Trump’s impression on key Pennsylvania races this year.
Pence is expected at an event Tuesday raising money for the Republican Governors Association, which tries to elect GOP governors across the country, the Wagner campaign confirmed to the Inquirer and Daily News.
Wagner, a brash businessman unafraid of public clashes, has a Trump-like reputation and keeps a Make America Great Again hat in his office at the waste-hauling firm he owns in York County. He is leading the Republican ticket in Pennsylvania alongside U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, a close Trump ally who is running for the Senate.
Wagner is challenging Gov. Wolf, a Democrat seeking a second term.
While Wagner has recently tried to soften his combative tone, his appearance with Pence would reinforce his links to Trump. The president won Pennsylvania in a major 2016 upset and remains popular in parts of the state but has struggled in polls in Philadelphia and its vote-rich suburbs.
Let’s keep up the momentum and defeat Trumpism in all its form. Click here to donate and get involved with Wolf’s re-election campaign.
And click below to donate and get involved with Pennsylvania Democrats to help make some big gains in Pennsylvania: