Here’s the latest news out of Pennsylvania:
Pennsylvania was a key win for President Donald Trump, but the state’s voters now say the agent of change they helped send to the White House has become an embarrassment, a new poll shows.
NBC/Marist pollsters surveyed voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, three rust-belt swing states that tipped the Electoral College toward Mr. Trump. His approval rating in each of those states is now below 40 percent.
In Pennsylvania, 41 percent of voters strongly disapprove of the job Mr. Trump is doing. Another 13 percent disapprove, but not strongly. Meanwhile, 35 percent either approve or strongly approve, and 10 percent of respondents were unsure.
Fifty-seven percent of Pennsylvania voters said they have an unfavorable impression of the president compared with 35 percent who have a favorable opinion and 10 percent who were unsure.
Sixty-three percent said they president’s conduct has embarrassed them, while 25 percent say it has made them proud.
Just over half of Pennsylvania voters say Mr. Trump is failing to deliver on his campaign promises to bring back manufacturing jobs to the U.S., while 37 percent say he is succeeding.
Sixty percent say the president’s decisions have weakened the country’s role on the world stage while 33 percent say they have strengthened it.
Sixty-two percent said they have no confidence or not very much confidence in the president’s ability to lead in an international crisis, compared with 37 percent who have “a great deal” or “a good amount” of confidence.
Now let’s look at the numbers for down ballot races:
Majorities of residents in Pennsylvania and the two other states surveyed had an unfavorable view of both parties. Republicans fared worse, with 57 percent of Pennsylvanians reporting an unfavorable view of the GOP, and 45 percent reporting an unfavorable view of Democrats.
Forty-seven percent of Pennsylvanians said they would prefer next year’s congressional elections to shift control of Congress to Democrats, while 37 percent would prefer that Republicans maintain control and 16 percent were undecided.
One of those federal lawmakers seeking re-election will be Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who drew a positive impression from 37 percent of Pennsylvanians, a negative view from 26 percent, and 38 percent were unsure or had not heard of him.
The pollsters asked about only one of his potential challengers, U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, a Republican from Hazleton who has not yet announced whether he will run for the statewide office. Barletta was largely unknown among the poll’s respondents, with 74 percent saying they hadn’t heard of him or weren’t sure of their view, 16 percent holding an unfavorable view and 10 percent having a positive impression of him.
The survey also asked how Pennsylvanians view Gov. Tom Wolf, who also is seeking re-election next year. Among Pennsylvania adults, 46 percent had a positive opinion, 35 percent had an unfavorable view and 19 percent didn’t have an impression of the Democratic governor.
Something to note about the NBC/Marist poll:
The survey was conducted between August 13th and 17th, and surveyed 915 adults in Pennsylvania via landline and mobile phones. The poll has a 3.2% margin of error.
Click here for the full results.
It’s still pretty early and anything can happen between now and November so we have to be ready to fight back. Click below to donate and get involved with Wolf and Casey’s re-election campaigns:
Tom Wolf
Bob Casey