Franklin & Marshall College

By Staff

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum is well ahead of his Republican primary rivals in Pennsylvania, and he has trimmed President Barack Obama’s lead in the state compared to one month ago, according to the latest Franklin & Marshall College Poll.

Santorum leads former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by a wide margin among Republicans, 45 percent to 16 percent. Santorum’s favorable rating has risen from 46 percent in January to 63 percent, while Romney’s favorable ratings have remained more consistent among Republicans, declining from 46 percent to 40 percent.

Obama continues to lead all of his potential Republican challengers in Pennsylvania. Obama leads in potential matchups with Santorum (45 percent to 37 percent) and Romney (41 percent to 33 percent). Republican candidates Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul both trail the president by double digits.

In other findings:

• A plurality (43 percent) of Santorum supporters said Romney is their second choice for the nomination. Similarly, a plurality (43 percent) of Romney supporters said Santorum is their second choice for the nomination.
• Republicans in the state believe a “strong moral character” (36 percent) or having “the right experience” (23 percent) are the main qualities they desire in a nominee. Fewer cite the ability to beat Obama (18 percent) or being “a true conservative” (13 percent) as being the most important characteristic they want in a nominee.
• Most (56 percent) of the state’s voters believe Pennsylvania is “headed in the wrong direction,” with fewer (31 percent) believing the state is “heading in the right direction” compared to January. Most (54 percent) Pennsylvania voters feel Pennsylvania’s economy is in a similar condition as other states.

The interviews were conducted Feb. 14-20 at the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College and were overseen by Director G. Terry Madonna, Head Methodologist Berwood Yost and Senior Project Manager Angela Knittle. The data released Feb. 23 represent responses of 592 registered voters in Pennsylvania, including 256 Democrats, 278 Republicans and 46 registered as independent/other.

The sample error for the survey is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points. The sample error is slightly higher for registered Democrats (plus or minus 6.1 percentage points) and Republicans (plus or minus 5.9 percentage points).

For complete results, visit www.fandm.edu/fandmpoll.