Trump, Carson Lead in PA

Franklin & Marshall College Poll

The 25th consecutive year of polling in Pennsylvania

Below are the highlights of the October 2015, Franklin & Marshall College Poll of registered Pennsylvania voters. Complete results can be found at http://www.fandm.edu/fandmpoll

• Two in three (62%) voters believe the state is "on the wrong track," up from 54% in August, and two in five (39%) say that government and politicians are the biggest problems facing the state.

• More voters hold the state legislature (51%) than the governor (32%) responsible for the state’s late budget, although similar proportions trust the governor (43%) and the state legislature (38%) to make final decisions about the state budget.

• Voters overwhelmingly support increased taxes on smokeless tobacco and cigars (71%) and natural gas extraction (67%), but are less supportive of increased income taxes (25%) and expanded sales taxes (34%) as means to balance the state budget.

• More than a third of (36%) voters believe Governor Tom Wolf is doing an "excellent" or "good" job as governor, which is down from 39% in August.

• Slightly more than half (51%) of voters believe Attorney General Kathleen Kane should resign while the criminal case against her works its way through the criminal justice system—an increase from 46% in August. More Republicans (62%) and Independents (56%) than Democrats (35%) believe she should resign her position. One in three (35%) registered voters favors impeaching the Attorney General.

• Two in five (40%) Pennsylvania voters believe President Obama is doing an "excellent" or "good" job as President, which is about the same as in recent surveys.

• Hillary Clinton holds a sizable lead (52%) over Bernie Sanders (18%) among registered Democrats in Pennsylvania.

• Donald Trump and Ben Carson lead the Republican primary field in Pennsylvania with 23% and 22%, respectively, with Marco Rubio in third place at 13%.

This survey reflects interviews with 614 Pennsylvania registered voters conducted by the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College from October 19-25, 2015 (sample error of +/-3.9 % percentage points).

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

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