August Poll Shows Obama 44 to Romney 38 in Pa.

Below are the highlights of the August 2012 Franklin & Marshall College Poll of Pennsylvania voters. 

The August 2012 Franklin and Marshall College Poll finds President Obama with a 6 point lead over Mitt Romney, 44 percent to 38 percent (sample error of +/- 3.8 percentage points) Obama is viewed favorably by 46 percent of voters to 32 percent for Romney. Complete results, including detailed methodology, can be found at http://politics.fandm.edu. 

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 percent (strongly or somewhat favor) to 42 percent (strongly or somewhat oppose).
6. Almost six in ten 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 August 7-August 12, 2012 (sample error of +/- 3.8 percentage points).