I think his being 10 points down is probably mostly just a consequence of the R next to his name. That’s just where Republicans start out in statewide elections. People might not know who he is yet, but they know he’s to the right of Specter, and they know they’re not going to elect another Republican. But it’s still a year and a half away from Election Day, and there’s plenty of time for voters to find out all about the overwhelmingly unpopular fringe positions Toomey and the Club for Growth support. His low name recognition is probably the single best asset he has going for him at the moment. The more voters find out, the more those approval numbers will drop.

Re:Jon
Jon, your thinking is probably a little flawed. What is going to happen is that the polcies of larger and larger deficits, inflation caused by the monetizing of debt and higher taxes is going to really upset the electorate and they will flock to someone who has proven themselves with the ability to limit spending and be a good caretaker of the people’s money. I am confident that Pat Toomey will win the election by double digits.