A Pennsylvania poll shows Sen. Arlen Specter’s re-election prospects have improved.
According to Franklin and Marshall College, which conducted interviews from Aug. 25 to Aug. 31, Specter, who switched from the Republican to the Democratic party in April, trounces primary opponent Joe Sestak 37 percent to 11 percent among Democrats who were polled. In a matchup against Republican Pat Toomey, Specter prevails 37 percent to 29 percent, according to a survey of registered Republicans. Specter’s lead over Toomey has increased to eight percentage points, up from just a three point lead in June. His advantage over Sestak has widened to 26 points, up from 20 points in June. But the poll found that 46 percent of registered Democrats and 25 percent of Republicans are still undecided.
The poll found that Pennsylvanians are losing confidence in President Barack Obama and his approval ratings have dropped. Just 47 percent of respondents said Obama was doing a good or excellent job in August, down from 55 percent in June, while the number of people who said they were “not very confident” in Obama’s ability to help the nation’s economy increased from 14 percent to 20 percent.
The poll also found that Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell’s approval rating have fallen to 29 percent, the lowest since he took office in 2003.
