F&M Stories
F&M Poll: Economic Concerns Shape Voter Attitudes in Pa. 7th and 10th Districts
The preferences of registered voters living in Pennsylvania’s 7th and 10th Congressional Districts show patterns that are similar to state and national data that favor Democratic candidates, according to the September Franklin & Marshall College Poll.
The 7th District includes all of Carbon, Lehigh, and Northampton counties, and parts of Monroe County, while the 10th District encompasses all of Dauphin County and parts of Cumberland and York counties.
Registered voters in PA-7 are more concerned about economic issues, feel worse about their personal finances, and are experiencing more financial difficulties than voters in PA-10. When asked which party they think can do a better job of dealing with their economic concerns, the registered voters in PA-7 give Democrats a 14% percent higher rating than Republicans on handling the economy, compared to voters in PA-10, who rated Democrats 24% higher.
Statewide, Democrats had an advantage of plus-24 among voters concerned about the economy in the August Franklin & Marshall College Poll.
Voters in both districts provide similar, negative ratings of President Donald Trump’s performance. Only about one in four registered voters in PA-7 and PA-10 rate President Trump’s job performance as “excellent” or “good,” and about twice as many voters in each district believe his policies have hurt them more than they have helped them.
Democrat Bob Brooks currently leads Republican incumbent Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in PA-7, 45% to 40%, while Democrat Janelle Stelson leads Republican incumbent Rep. Scott Perry 47% to 44% in PA-10. Both Democrats lead their Republican challengers among independent and moderate voters.
Gov. Josh Shapiro leads Republican challenger Stacy Garrity by a significant margin in both PA-7 (53% to 30%) and PA-10 (53% to 32%).
Conducted Sept. 9-20 by Franklin & Marshall’s Center for Opinion Research, the poll recorded responses from registered voters who live in Pennsylvania congressional districts 7 and 10. In PA-7, there were 147 Democratic, 136 Republican, and 74 independent respondents, and in PA-10, there were 145 Democratic, 167 Republican, and 78 independent respondents. The sample error for the survey of registered voters in PA-7 is plus or minus 5.8 percentage points, and in PA-10 it is plus or minus 5.7 percentage points.
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