Raleigh, N.C. –
Pennsylvania voters support Tom Corbett’s lawsuit against the NCAA…but it’s
still not doing much to improve his overall political fortunes.
52% of voters support Corbett’s lawsuit against the NCAA over its sanctions
against Penn State, while 34% are opposed to it. That’s a reflection of the
fact that 62% of Pennsylvanians think the sanctions against the school were too
strict, compared to only 27% who think they were ‘about right’ and 8% who think
they were too lenient. 49% of voters in the state consider themselves to be
fans of the Nittany Lions, and among those folks there’s 63/23 support for the
lawsuit.
Despite the support for Corbett on the lawsuit, voters are still unhappy
with his overall handling of the Penn State situation over the last few years.
Only 27% approve of the way he’s dealt with it to 50% who disapprove. That’s
contributing to overall approval numbers that continue to be very poor- only
38% of voters are happy with the job he’s doing to 52% who disapprove.
We tested Corbett against 8 potential opponents for reelection in 2014, and
he polls at only 40-42% against every one of them. The only one he actually trails
in a head to head is his predecessor, Ed Rendell, who would start out with a
46/40 advantage were he to attempt the comeback. Corbett would be tied with AG
Kathleen Kane at 42%.
The rest of the Democrats we tested Corbett leads by modest margins. It’s
41/38 over Michael Nutter, 41/37 over John Hanger, 42/36 over Joe Sestak, 41/35
over Rob McCord, 41/34 over Allyson Schwartz, and 41/29 over Tom Wolf. The
undecideds in all of these races lean strongly Democratic- they’re generally
voters who disapprove of Corbett but aren’t familiar yet with the potential
alternatives.
“Tom Corbett clearly knew what he was doing politically with the Penn State
lawsuit,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “But he
continues to be one of the most vulnerable Governors in the country headed into
2014.”
PPP surveyed 675 Pennsylvania
voters from January 4th to 6th. The margin of error is +/-3.8
percentage points. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political
organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of Governor
Tom Corbett’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .38%
Disapprove…………. .52%
Not sure …………….. .10%
Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of John Hanger?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 7%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 23%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 70%
Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Kathleen Kane?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 33%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 19%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 47%
Q4 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Rob McCord?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 13%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 11%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 76%
Q5 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Michael Nutter?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 30%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 17%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 52%
Q6 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Ed Rendell?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 47%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 43%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%
Q7 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Allyson Schwartz?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 19%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 16%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 65%
Q8 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Joe Sestak?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 24%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 25%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 50%
Q9 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Tom Wolf?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 8%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 13%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 79%
Q10 If the candidates for Governor next year were
Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat John
Hanger, who would you vote for?
Tom Corbett ……………………………………………. 41%
John Hanger …………………………………………… 37%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 21%
Q11 If the candidates for Governor next year were
Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat
Kathleen Kane, who would you vote for?
Tom Corbett ……………………………………………. 42%
Kathleen Kane ………………………………………… 42%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 16%
Q12 If the candidates for Governor next year were
Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Rob
McCord, who would you vote for?
Tom Corbett ……………………………………………. 41%
Rob McCord……………………………………………. 35%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 24%
Q13 If the candidates for Governor next year were
Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Michael
Nutter, who would you vote for?
Tom Corbett ……………………………………………. 41%
Michael Nutter…………………………………………. 38%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 21%
Q14 If the candidates for Governor next year were
Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Ed
Rendell, who would you vote for?
Tom Corbett ……………………………………………. 40%
Ed Rendell ……………………………………………… 46%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%
Q15 If the candidates for Governor next year were
Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Allyson
Schwartz, who would you vote for?
Tom Corbett ……………………………………………. 41%
Allyson Schwartz……………………………………… 34%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 25%
Q16 If the candidates for Governor next year were
Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Joe
Sestak, who would you vote for?
Tom Corbett ……………………………………………. 42%
Joe Sestak……………………………………………… 36%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 23%
Q17 If the candidates for Governor next year were
Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Tom
Wolf, who would you vote for?
Tom Corbett ……………………………………………. 41%
Tom Wolf………………………………………………… 29%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 30%
Q18 Do you support or oppose Tom Corbett’s
lawsuit against the NCAA over its sanctions
against Penn State?
Support ………………………………………………….. 52%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 34%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%
Q19 Do you think the NCAA’s sanctions against
Penn State were too strict, about right, or too
lenient?
Too strict ………………………………………………… 62%
About right ……………………………………………… 27%
Too lenient ……………………………………………… 8%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 2%
Q20 In general, do you approve or disapprove of
how Tom Corbett has handled the Penn State
situation over the last few years?
Approve …………….. .27%
Disapprove…………. .50%
Not sure …………….. .23%
Q21 Do you consider yourself to be a Penn State
fan, or not?
Consider yourself a
Penn State fan ……..49%
Do not ……………….. .51%
Q22 Are you an alumnus of Penn State, or not?
Are an alumnus of
Penn State …………..11%
Are not ………………. .89%
Q23 In the last presidential election, did you vote for
Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?
Barack Obama………………………………………… 50%
Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 45%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 4%
Q24 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 10%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 20%
Moderate………………………………………………… 33%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 21%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 16%
Q25 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 47%
Man……………………………………………………….. 53%
Q26 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 48%
Republican……………………………………………… 38%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 14%
Q27 If you are white, press 1. If other, press 2.
White …………………………………………………….. 85%
Other……………………………………………………… 15%
Q28 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 12%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 26%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 39%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 23%
