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August Poll Shows Obama 44 to Romney 38 in Pa.

Franklin & Marshall's August poll shows Obama leading Romney by six points with 15 percent of Pennsylvania voters undecided.

  • August 20, 2012
 

In Pennsylvania, President Obama is beating Candidate Mitt Romney, but his lead has dropped 2 percent since June, according to the Franklin & Marshall College Poll of Pennsylvania voters.

However, with the election just months away, 15 percent of Pennsylvania voters are undecided.

Is your mind made up? Has Romney's choice of Vice President affected your decision?

The August 2012 Franklin and Marshall College Poll finds President Obama with a 6 point lead over Mitt Romney, 44 percent to 38 percent. Obama is viewed favorably by 46 percent of voters to 32 percent for Romney. Here's a summary of the poll:

  1. President Obama leads Mitt Romney, 44 percent to 38 percent with 15 percent undecided; when voters who lean to a candidate are included a similar advantage shows for the president, 47 percent to 42 percent, leaving 7 percent of voters truly undecided.
  2. Bob Casey leads Tom Smith, 35 percent to 23 percent with 39 percent undecided, in the U.S. Senate race; when voters who lean to a candidate are included, Casey's lead increases 43 percent to 28 percent, but a high proportion still remain undecided (24 percent).
  3. Compared to Romney, Obama is seen as better understanding of the concerns of ordinary Americans, 57 percent to 30 percent, better able to handle foreign policy issues, 53 percent to 34 percent, better able to handle the job as military chief, 47 percent to 37 percent, and closest to respondents' views on abortion and gay marriage, 47 percent to 37 percent. Romney now leads as the candidate most prepared to fix our economic problems (44 percent to 42 percent) compared to June (38 percent to 44 percent).
  4. Obama's job performance remains more negative than positive, with 43 percent positive (good or excellent job) and 56 percent negative (fair or poor job).
  5. PA Voters favor repealing the heath care law 48% (strongly or somewhat favor) to 42 percent (strongly or somewhat oppose).
  6. Almost six in 10 Pennsylvania voters believe the state is moving in the wrong direction, 57 percent, while 30 percent say it is moving in the right direction.

This survey reflects interviews with 681 Pennsylvania voters, conducted by the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College from Aug. 7-Aug. 12, 2012 (sample error of +/- 3.8 percentage points).

Related Topics: participate 2012

Liberty 1

6:44 am on Monday, August 20, 2012

Polls have morphed from being an unbiased source of information to being another form of manipulation. For example, this poll indicates a lead by Obama by 6 points but if you read items 4 & 5 it shows a very different story. There is a disconnect there that does not make sense. The only poll that means anything is in November and even then I am not too sure about it being legitimate.

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Jeff Lugar

7:29 am on Monday, August 20, 2012

But #5 also doesn't say the reason why they favor repeal, and so is meaningless as to whether those numbers are for or against the policy and Obama. Many who favor repeal say so because they want 'Obamacare' expanded to become what every other industrialized country does for its citizens in terms of healthcare, while others want it repealed because apparently they want poor people to die for want of proper healthcare.

Scott Johnson

7:38 am on Monday, August 20, 2012

Jeff says it correct. I feel the same way I support Obama but I feel the country is moving in the wrong direction, I also would have liked Universal health care instead of the Health reform that was passed.

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Billy

12:05 am on Friday, September 7, 2012

If Obama is at the lead in heading this country down the wrong path with his decisions, how can you support him?

Toni Kistner

9:34 am on Monday, August 20, 2012

Apparently, and unfortunately - this poll, as well as the many others that are released into mainstream media have neglected to include the other nominees that are STILL RUNNING (Ron Paul, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein) thereby giving the impression that the "presumptive" candidates are the only ones "worth voting for" and negating the viability of other legitimate candidates.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2012

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Scott Johnson

10:48 am on Monday, August 20, 2012

Ron Paul is not still running in any realistic sense, however Jill Stein and Gary Johnson are running as Green and Libertarian. I do like Gary Johnson and don't know anything about Jill Stein. Anyhow, PA needs to make it's election laws fair so that third parties can get on the ballot with the same requirements as the two major parties. It's shameful that we work so hard to keep them off the ballot and PA election laws on this topic are completely unfair.

//Card carrying Democrat

Joe Olson

12:17 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012

Jeff Lugar do you work for Patch? I would think that as a representative of the media you would want to present the information accurately including several different views. Your comment above 'others want it repealed because apparently they want poor people to die for want of proper healthcare' is clearly a very personal view and not supported by any data that you provided.
Perhaps when you want to make a point use another ID or people will begin to think that you represent Patch and they also support your views. A disclaimer declaring that these are your views and not those of Patch would also work.

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Pat

12:39 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012

I think he just writes those awesome video game blog posts.

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Jerry Brahm

1:17 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012

Good point .. Jeff is not a Patch employee, however he does write a column about video games as a freelancer.

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Liberty 1

3:24 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012

Maybe he should stick with video game posts. ;)

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CyD252

4:17 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012

Joe Olson wrote: "Your comment above 'others want it repealed because apparently they want poor people to die for want of proper healthcare' is clearly a very personal view and not supported by any data that you provided."

Then allow me to provide data on Jeff Lugar's behalf. Here is a fairly recent Gallup poll suggesting that a quarter of voting-age adults favor expanding the government's role in healthcare above and beyond that which is described under Obamacare.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/155447/Americans-Issue-Split-Decision-Healthcare-Ruling.aspx

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Mike Shortall

10:34 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012

Nothing adds a little spice to a losing argument like a bit of emotional hysteria. No one can be opposed to Obamacare - regardless of the reason - without wanting poor people to die without medical care.

Liberty 1

7:19 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012

So I guess that means that 75% do not favor expansion??

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CyD252

8:00 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012

You are missing the point. Jeff Lugar claimed that some people want Obamacare repealed because "they want 'Obamacare' expanded to become what every other industrialized country does for its citizens in terms of healthcare."

I merely provided evidence for his claim.

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Mike Shortall

10:28 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012

Actually, CyD, the statement questioned was ... "... others want it repealed because apparently they want poor people to die for want of proper healthcare' is clearly a very personal view and not supported by any data that you provided."

Do have data on that one???

Toni Kistner

10:56 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012

I agree Scott - don't know how this kind of blatant favoritism is not somehow subject to lawsuits for discrimination....

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TaterSalad

11:39 am on Sunday, August 26, 2012

Can someone please tell me why Oiho (Obama's new spelling of the state) citizens continue to support and vote for Sen. Sherrod Brown-nose and Barack Obama. They have the same ideology and are driving Ohio business's to Indiana and Pennsylvania and other states. Evidently these citizens place the Democratic Party before there families and jobs! Sad..............and true! Thank you Ohio for the jobs! Keep up the good work. I like the paycheck instead of an unemployment check! Ha, ha, ha!

http://weaselzippers.us/2012/08/26/ohio-columbus-dispatch-poll-dead-even-for-president-and-senate/

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Richard

12:35 pm on Monday, August 27, 2012

w t h is wrong with our state and its voters ? Obama and more so Casey, have done nothing for PA. Our coal industry getting hammered by them and both opposed to our lucrative gas shale drilling. PA pensions 2 trillion under funded, school unions milking the taxpayers dry and we are headed in the CA & NY direction

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TaterSalad

10:05 pm on Saturday, September 1, 2012

Liberal moonbats are so clueless on what Barack Obama is doing that they will lite candles before bedtime and kiss his faded poster on the wall.

http://weaselzippers.us/2012/09/01/poll-number-of-americans-who-consider-themselves-republicans-hits-record-high/

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louis kootsares

9:25 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012

great presidents had their faces on currency... ayatolla obahma hero of the freeloaders,and ignorant,should have his on a foodstamp.. more people on foodstamps than at any other time...4 more years of that dufus probably will see even bigger things...l more free phones, more apologies to the terrorists,more attempts to take away 1st and 2nd amendment rights... the list is huge..the national debt,unemployment,more illegals,

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Colter95

11:47 am on Saturday, November 3, 2012

Old poll, and it's a lot closer than that now...

I saw Obama yesterday claiming the new job numbers are proof that his policies are working and that we are in an economic recovery... Fact is, that is not the truth, or even close to the truth...
First, the unemployment rate ticked up to 7.9% and the year-to-date monthly average of 157,000 payroll jobs is barely enough to keep up with population growth -- much less make up for the 8 million jobs lost during the Great Recession.
Second, the so-called real unemployment rate (U6) remains elevated at 14.6%, albeit down from 14.7% the prior month. Similarly, the labor participation rate is at 63.8%, up from its multi-decade low but still incredibly weak.
Third, average hourly earnings fell a penny in October and average hours worked fell to 34.4 from 34.5 in September.
Stagnant wages means "we're not generating income," Reinhart says. "That's a problem in terms of the durability of an economic expansion, which is usually fueled by consumption. To get consumption you've got to generate income."
Also, just look at your checkbook. We are paying a lot more for everything now than we did in 2008. The price of gas has doubled. At the same time, wages have gone down, and that's if you're lucky to have a job.
In 2008, 25 banks went out of business. In 2012, 48 banks have gone out of business. Almost double the amount. Does that sound like recovery to you? Don't believe the Obama lies!!

Romney/Ryan 2012

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