Arlen Specter Poll: Senator Leads Joe Sestak And Pat Toomey

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) now leads both his Democratic primary challenger, Rep. Joe Sestak, and Republican Pat Toomey, in a general election match-up, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday..

Specter's lead over Sestak stands at 53 to 29 percent, while his lead over Toomey is now 49 to 42 percent. A similar poll in mid-December had Specter and Toomey deadlocked at 44 percent.

"Specter's edge is that he is so much better known than his challengers at this point. Only 11 percent of voters say they don't know enough about him to form an opinion," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Seventy-four percent of voters including 73 percent of Democrats say Sestak is too unfamiliar for them to have an opinion."

According to Brown, Toomey suffers from the same problem, as 65 percent of voters remain unfamiliar with the GOP candidate. Though this is a disadvantage, Toomey will have until the general election in November to rectify the problem, while Sestak will only have until May 18 -- primary day.

The poll surveyed 1,452 Pennsylvania voters, with a 2.6 percentage point margin of error.

Comments

[Jim Wilson 90009]

12:55 AM on 04/13/2010

Will be fun seeing Specter going out as a low life and an unprincipled turncoat.

[dylandogfirebird]

07:47 AM on 03/13/2010

Can't believe the fools on here. How is a medicare or medicaid expansion going to work when neither program is currently funded? If we can't afford the current spending level how do you assume that even with tax increases we can afford to expand them? I would love to say that Specker is an idiot but he is a political genius. He rode Reagan's coat tails in as a RINO in the 80's and is now riding this fools coat tails in if he can pull it off. Remember fools. It's free if the Goverment "gives" it to you. Just a quick question. In a nation "of the people, for the people by the people" Who is the goverment and where do they get their money that they can't wait to "give" away? Remember to ask for your share. You paid in.

[dad4autism]

05:40 PM on 03/03/2010

c'mon pittsburgher's rally for arlen.

[grumbles]

11:59 AM on 03/03/2010

I am not from PA but for the life of me, I cant understand why they keep insisting on putting Spector back in office. He was a dud as a repug and he is a bigger dud as a dem. Please PA-PLEASE- rethink this.........

[AxelDC]

10:43 AM on 03/03/2010

Toomey's problem isn't that he's unknown; he's actually benefiting from people not knowing him. As voters realize he is to the right of Rick Santorum, they will understand that he isn't the right choice for PA.

[den1953]

09:22 AM on 03/03/2010

Since i have learned Senator Specter has not only has support for the public option i am also supporting him because of his push for jobs in PA, recently the dredging of Philly port and bringing 30,000 jobs to the state thank you Senator.

[gditty]

08:50 AM on 03/03/2010

Note to WH: The public option could help the dems retain seats in Nov., or maybe take a supermajority again.

[ilse]

02:08 AM on 03/03/2010

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[Australian2]

02:06 AM on 03/03/2010

Looks like Specter's support for the Public Option is working in his favour.

As it should. As it most certainly should. The public option is good policy, and should become good law, and Sen. Specter is to be commended for having the courage - in an election year, no less - to speak up about it.

[AxelDC]

10:44 AM on 03/03/2010

Good policy = good government = good politics

Putting policy ahead of politics is the way to keep a majority.

[JackNasty]

12:21 AM on 03/03/2010

If the corporate media repeats the lie often enough the people will follow.

[sheoples]

12:14 AM on 03/03/2010

despite all the lies and hypocracy......as i've been predicting......you can always count on:

short attention span
short term memory
uneducated masses

.........to pull a win for specter.....people never learn

[higherstrategy]

11:02 PM on 03/02/2010

if you believe this i have a bride over the pacific ocean starting in Arizona to sell you

[maslin]

12:07 AM on 03/03/2010

Isn't selling brides internationally illegal?

[dolphy]

10:43 PM on 03/02/2010

i don't know why people are this $t00p&&d

[Recycle congress]

10:07 PM on 03/02/2010

I see the dead must have arisen for this poll.

[maslin]

12:08 AM on 03/03/2010

Won't be the first time the dead have been a major vote bloc for a well-connected pol.

[UncleJimbo]

09:15 PM on 03/02/2010

I wonder who will replace him since he will most likely not finish another full term?.....Just Sayin'!