F&M Poll: Kavanaugh, Health Care Energize Voters

Below are the highlights of the October 2018, Franklin & Marshall College Poll. Complete results can be found at http://www.fandm.edu/fandmpoll

* Nearly three in four (71%) of the state’s registered voters are “very interested” in the 2018 elections, an increase of ten points since our September survey.

Similar proportions of Republicans (75%) and Democrats (73%) say they are “very interested” in the election which is a change from our September survey when more Democrats (64%) than Republicans (58%) or independents (49%) were “very interested.”
The confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh (63%), efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (60%), and the separation of immigrant families (57%) have each made voters a “great deal more interested” in voting.
About one in two (54%) registered voters in Pennsylvania believes Governor Wolf is doing an “excellent” or “good” job as governor.
Two in five (43%) registered voters believe Senator Bob Casey is doing an “excellent” or “good” job as the state’s U.S. Senator.
About two in five (36%) registered voters in Pennsylvania believes President Donald Trump is doing an “excellent” or “good” job as president, which is similar to his ratings in the September survey.
More registered voters prefer the Democratic candidate for U.S. House (53%) than the Republican candidate for the U.S. House (38%). Among likely voters, more favor a Democrat (52%) than a Republican (39%) for the U.S. House.
President Trump continues to be an essential motivating force in the upcoming mid-term elections. Two in three (69%) of those who plan to vote for a Democratic candidate are casting their ballot mainly as a vote against President Trump and Republicans in Congress, while four in five (83%) of those who plan to vote for a Republican candidate are casting their ballot mainly as a vote to support President Trump and the Republicans in Congress.
Governor Wolf (59%) currently leads his Republican challenger Scott Wagner (33%) among likely voters, with (5%) remaining undecided.
Senator Casey (50%) leads his Republican challenger, Representative Lou Barletta (35%), among likely voters, with (14%) remaining undecided.

This survey reflects interviews with 537 Pennsylvania registered voters, including 254 Democrats, 211 Republicans and 72 Independents conducted by the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College from October 22-28, 2018. The sample error for this survey is +/- 6.0 percentage points. A complete methodological statement can be found in the full report.

The Franklin & Marshall College Poll is produced in conjunction with the Philadelphia Daily News, WGAL-TV (South Central PA), Pittsburgh Tribune Review, WTAE-TV (Pittsburgh), WPVI-TV6/ABC (Philadelphia), Times-Shamrock Newspapers, Harrisburg Patriot-News/PennLive, LNP media group, and the Reading Eagle. It may be used in whole or in part, provided any use is attributed to the college.