Jobs,+economy+top+Pennsylvania+concerns

= = = By John L. Micek = =// Published by the Allentown Morning Call //= =// 9/1/11 //=

=HARRISBURG—= =— With the economy slumping and Washington gridlocked, pocketbook issues and personal finances top the list of voter concerns as Pennsylvanians head into the [|Labor Day] weekend.= =Fifty three percent say the [|state] is headed in the wrong direction, according to a Franklin & Marshall College poll out Thursday. Nearly half of respondents, 47 percent, say unemployment and the economy are the biggest challenges facing the state.= =With continued bad headlines and no relief in sight, "for many Pennsylvanians, this economy has become personal," pollster [|G. Terry Madonna] said. "I think they've gotten a sense that it's not over and it's likely to be that way. There's a real sense [among Pennsylvanians] that this could affect them."= =

= =That translates into bad news for President [|Barack Obama], with only 34 percent approving of his performance. But he's doing better than other state officials. Thirty two percent of voters approve of Gov. [|Tom Corbett]'s and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey's, D-Pa, job performances. Freshman U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., gets a 29 percent approval rating. = = Sixteen percent of Pennsylvanians said they were still on the fence about Casey, who's in his fifth year in Washington; 20 percent said they didn't know enough about Toomey to make up their minds. Just 9 percent are undecided about Corbett, whose first budget got plenty of attention because of cuts. = = Corbett's job performance rating is lower than both former Govs. [|Ed Rendell], a Democrat, and [|Tom Ridge], a Republican, at the same point in their tenures, [|Madonna] said. Between 1991 and 2011, the average positive gubernatorial approval rating was 46 percent. = =As the 2012 presidential race heats up, more than half of state voters, 52 percent, say it's time for a change in the [|White House]. Only 41 percent say Obama deserves re-election. Still, in a state where [|Democrats] command a significant voter registration advantage, Obama leads in head-to-head matches with several of his likely Republican opponents.= =Obama leads former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romeny, 36 percent to 30 percent, with 35 percent undecided or preferring some other candidate. The president leads U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachamann, R-Minn., 43 percent to 22 percent, with 34 percent undecided or preferring another candidate.= =Obama leads [|Texas] Gov. [|Rick Perry] 38 percent to 27 percent, with 36 percent undecided or preferring another candidate. And the president leads former U.S. Sen. [|Rick Santorum] 39 percent to 31 percent, with 30 percent undecided or preferring another candidate.= =A majority of state residents, 50 percent, also said they would strongly or somewhat favor a constitutional amendment legalizing marriage for same-sex couples, compared to 42 percent who oppose it. In a June 2009 poll, 52 percent of Pennsylvanians said they'd oppose such an amendment.= =Pennsylvanians continue to support an extraction tax on Marcellus shale natural gas drillers (65 percent) and selling the state liquor stores (56 percent). Among those who favor a gas tax, nearly three-quarters (72 percent) say the proceeds should be shared among the state and the communities where drilling takes place.= =The poll of 525 adults was conducted between Aug. 22 and Monday. It includes a sample of 407 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points for all respondents and 4.9 percentage points for registered voters.= =//john.micek@mcall.com//= =//717-783-7305//= =How Obama stacks up= =Democrat Obama compared to top Republican challengers …= =Obama: 36% [|Mitt Romney]: 30%= =Obama: 38% Rick Perry: 27%= =Obama: 43% [|Michele Bachmann], 22%= =Source: Franklin & Marshall College poll of 407 Pennsylvania voters interviewed Aug. 22 through Monday. Margin of error plus/minus 4.9 percentage points.= = = =News= =home=