His constituents down on his job performance, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) approaches his 2014 re-election campaign in a politically precarious position, according to a poll released Tuesday.
The latest survey from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling showed a mere 33 percent of Keystone State voters approving of the job Corbett is doing. Fifty-eight percent said they disapprove of Corbett. Moreover, the first-term Republican received equally low marks, or worse, for his performance in specific areas. On Corbett’s handling of the sex abuse scandal at Penn State University, 58 percent of voters said they disapprove. An even larger portion of the state — 67 percent — said they disapprove of his plan to privatize the state’s lottery.
In hypothetical matchups of next year’s gubernatorial race, Corbett lagged behind all five Democrats tested by PPP. He trailed former state environmental protection secretary John Hanger and Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) by margins of seven and 11 points respectively. Hanger and Schwartz have both said they intend to run in the race. The poll also showed that a plurality of 49 percent of Pennsylvania Republicans would prefer a different nominee in the gubernatorial race. His approval rating among GOP voters is negative, with 43 percent of Republicans in the state approving of his job performance to 45 percent who disapprove.
Corbett’s individual numbers have actually dipped further since PPP’s previous survey of Pennsylvania in January, when 38 percent of voters approved of his performance while 52 percent disapproved. Other polls released in the last year have shown his approval rating in negative territory, as reflected by the PollTracker Average.
