Campaign 2006: Poll: Casey still leads Santorum
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HARRISBURG -- The number of Pennsylvania voters who think U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum deserves re-election dropped to 37 percent in a statewide poll released yesterday.
Santorum's numbers also fell in job performance and favorability, and he slipped slightly farther behind in a head-to-head matchup against the leading Democratic candidate, Bob Casey.
Respondents in the Quinnipiac University Poll favored Casey over Republican Santorum by 49 percent to 36 percent. A Quinnipiac survey released early last month had Casey ahead, 48-37.
Casey led among men, women, Democrats, independent voters and in six of seven geographic regions. Republicans overwhelmingly favored Santorum, and he led by one percentage point overall in the state's central region.
Santorum spokeswoman Virginia Davis said it is too early for meaningful polling. Television advertising and debates may change the dynamic, she said.
"It's still six months out until the election, and the climate has been unfavorable to Republicans across the board," she said.
Casey's campaign said the poll reflects a sentiment among voters for change.
"They're not happy with the direction that Sen. Santorum has been leading Pennsylvania and the country, and they're looking for fresh leadership," said Casey spokesman Larry Smar.
Since the April 6 Quinnipiac poll, Santorum's job approval fell 3 percentage points to 41 percent, his favorability rating dropped five points to 27 percent and the percentage who felt he deserved re-election was down 6 points.
Casey's favorability rating also declined, from 33 percent in April to 25 percent in the latest survey.
Casey, the Pennsylvania state treasurer, continued to hold a wide lead over the other two Democrats seeking the party's nomination in Tuesday's primary. Sixty-two percent of registered Democrats said they would vote for Casey, versus 4 percent for professor Chuck Pennacchio and 2 percent for attorney Alan Sandals.
Santorum, the Senate's third-ranking Republican, is unopposed for his party's nomination as he seeks a third term.
The telephone poll surveyed 1,487 voters, including 669 Democrats, from May 2-8. The poll's sampling margin of error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points; among Democrats, the margin was plus or minus four percentage points.
First Published May 12, 2006 12:00 am
