TPM2012

Pennsylvania Poll: Obama Leads Romney By 12

Tom Kludt June 6, 2012, 8:24 AM

President Barack Obama leads Mitt Romney by 12 points in Pennsylvania, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

The latest Franklin & Marshall College Poll shows Obama leading Romney among registered voters, 48 percent to 36 percent. Obama has led Romney in every Franklin & Marshall poll of Pennsylvania since August of 2011 — and the president’s lead in the current survey represents a bump since the Lancaster, Pa.-based college’s February poll, which showed Obama with an 8-point lead over Romney in the Keystone State. The president is bolstered in the latest poll by robust support from minority and women voters in Pennsylvania, as well as a decidedly stronger favorability rating than Romney.

From Franklin & Marshall:

President Obama leads in most regions of the state with the exception of central Pennsylvania and the northwest, and he has comfortable leads among non-whites and women. Mitt Romney holds a slight advantage among working-class whites.
Both President Obama’s personal favorability ratings and his job approval ratings have improved in Pennsylvania since February. Mitt Romney’s favorability ratings have slightly worsened. Registered voters in Pennsylvania believe the president is better prepared than Mitt Romney to handle specific aspects of his job and to better reflect their concerns and values.

The TPM Poll Average shows that Obama has held the upper-hand over Romney in Pennsylvania throughout the campaign.

Although Democrats have won Pennsylvania in every presidential election since 1988 — including a 10-point win for Obama over Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in 2008 — the state is perennially targeted by both parties. Romney expects to compete with Obama in Pennsylvania, according to the AP, and his campaign intends to devote significant financial resources to the campaign operation there.

Tom Kludt

Tom Kludt is a newswriter for TPM. A former research intern and polling fellow for TPM, he lives and works in New York City. Tom graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Dakota in May of 2010 with a B.A. in Political Science and History. He can be reached at Tom (at) talkingpointsmemo.com.