PPP’s new Pennsylvania poll finds voters might not quite be ready for certain aspects of the Libertarian agenda. 93% of voters in the state think that driver’s licenses should be required, to only 5% who think they shouldn’t. And 76% of voters support the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to only 5% opposed to that as well. At the Libertarian convention two weeks ago both of these concepts were roundly booed. There is an interesting partisan divide on the Civil Rights Act though- Democrats support it 86/3, while Republicans support it only 63/9.
We polled Pennsylvanians on a variety of key issues:
-57% would support a nonpartisan redistricting process, to only 8% who would be opposed to one. That concept meets with majority favor across party lines- 63/5 with Democrats, 54/16 with independents, and 51/9 with Republicans.
-74% of voters in Pennsylvania would like to see the minimum wage increased to at least $10 an hour, compared to only 15% who think it’s fine where it is and 8% who would like to see it eliminated altogether. There’s 90% support among Democrats, 76% among independents, and 54% among Republicans for at least getting it up to $10 an hour.
-Background checks on all gun purchases is another issue that meets with strong favor across the party spectrum- 85% of voters support them to only 9% who are opposed. That includes 92% support from Democrats, 80% from Republicans, and 76% from independents.
-Pennsylvania continues the trend we’ve seen lately of the Affordable Care Act no longer being a liability for Democrats. 41% of voters in the state support it, to 38% who are opposed. It’s at worst a neutral issue politically for them at this point.
-Steelers fans outnumber Eagles fans 40/28 in the state, and Eagles fans are awfully happy about their change of leadership. 72% say they approve of the decision to fire Chip Kelly, compared to only 7% who are unhappy about the change. That’s as much support as we’ve ever seen from a fan base for firing its coach. Fans are generally content with the hiring of Doug Pederson- 48% say they support it to 15% who are opposed, and 38% who don’t have an opinion one way or another. Eagles fans are pretty divided when it comes to who they think should be their Quarterback this year. 35% say Sam Bradford, 31% Carson Wentz, and 9% Chase Daniel.
There may be a lot of upheaval in the Eagles’ world right now, but things are pretty stable for the Steelers- Mike Tomlin is popular with his fan base, with 60% approving of the job he’s doing as coach to only 13% who disapprove. Those numbers are up from a 47/27 approval spread when we polled the state last summer.
-Baseball fandom in the state is closely divided, with 36% identifying as Pirates fans to 33% who are Phillies fans. Fans of both teams are happy with their current leadership. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has a 64/7 approval spread with his fan base, and Phillies skipper Pete Mackanin is at 56/7 with his.
-Penn State leads college sports loyalties in the state with 34% to 13% for Pitt, 9% for Penn (which people may have confused with Penn State), 7% each for Temple and Villanova, 3% for St. Joseph’s, 2% for Duquesne, and 1% for LaSalle. Pat Narduzzi has a 45/7 approval spread with Pitt fans, indicating there’s virtually no one unhappy with him, while James Franklin’s at 43/18 with Penn State fans. Jay Wright scores the rare feat of having no Villanova fans who disapprove of him- 71% approve and 29% have no opinion- I guess some fans need to see several rings before giving their support. Virtually no one is angry at Jamie Dixon for leaving Pitt- only 3% of the school’s fans have a negative opinion of him with 49% rating him positively and 48% saying they have no opinion.
-Joe Paterno still has a 49/29 favorability rating in Pennsylvania. Feelings about Paterno are a dividing line in the Presidential election. Among voters who still see him favorably, Donald Trump leads Hillary Clinton by 14 points at 48/34. Among those who now have a negative opinion of him, Clinton leads Trump by 17 points at 50/33.
-Only 25% of Pennsylvanians think there’s any hope for the 76ers, to 29% who say there’s no hope and 46% who aren’t sure one way or another. Democrats (31/25) have hope for the 76ers, while Republicans (18/33) do not which may in some ways be reflective of the two parties’ disparate worldviews.
-Finally we polled on a few Pennsylvania cultural issues. 62% say it’s soda, 25% say it’s Pop. 45% prefer Sheetz, 35% prefer Wawa. And 49% say the state’s best iconic sandwich is the cheesesteak to 26% for the Italian hoagie, and 12% for the meatball sub.
Full results here
