LEFTOVERS: McClatchy polls Pa., Murphy’s COS to Rahm, Dent’s new ad

Polling data, anyone?

Yes, there’s yet another set of numbers we missed,

October 3, 2010 at 3:54 pm | Comments (23)

Rasmussen: Corbett up 12 points

Republican Tom Corbett continues to enjoy a comfortable, double-digit lead in Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race, according to a new poll.

full story

October 3, 2010 at 2:23 pm | Comments (5)

Corbett’s new ad tackles brain drain

A new TV ad from Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett takes aim at Pennsylvania’s inability to keep college graduates within its borders—the often lamented brain drain.

“It’s really quite tragic,” Corbett says in the ad, which started airing late last week.”

Corbett goes on to talk about better matching Pennsylvania employers with graduates.

“Because instead of tearful goodbyes at the missed holidays,” Corbett says, “it’s time to start saying, ‘welcome back home to Pennsylvania.’”

See…

October 3, 2010 at 2:04 pm | Comments (0)

Onorato starts TV effort to bring opponent down

Weeks away from Election Day and seemingly needing a game-changer, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato has taken to the airwaves with the first two negative ads of the general election.

Onorato’s newest spots, which started airing late last week, reiterates the campaign’s long-running critiques of Republican rival Tom Corbett, seeking a contrast between Onorato’s record of balancing budgets in Allegheny County with the fact that Corbett has requested budget increases as state attorney general. One…

October 3, 2010 at 2:00 pm | Comments (1)

F&M: Toomey up 9, Corbett up 4 among likely voters

The latest public poll adds to the growing body of data indicating a tightening governor’s race, but shows a Senate race with Republicans still firmly in the lead.

The Franklin & Marshall College survey released Wednesday found Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett beating Democrat Onorato by just four points among likely voters, 36 percent to 32 percent. That margin represents one of the closest snapshots taken by a pollster to date, and a seven-point improvement…

September 30, 2010 at 11:05 am | Comments (4)

LEFTOVERS: More poll results, Critz’s first ad

The number of polls whizzing by us the last few weeks have been dizzying. Naturally, there are two we’ve missed already this week.

The first is Magellan Data and Mapping Strategies. Like other public polls, Magellan found Republicans winning the statewide races. Tom Corbett leads Dan Onorato in the gubernatorial race by 12 points, 50 percent to 38 percent. Pat Toomey leads Joe Sestak in the Senate race by eight points, 49 percent to 41…

September 28, 2010 at 3:44 pm | Comments (6)

Poll: Corbett up 7, Toomey up 5

Republicans continue to hold the edge in Pennsylvania’s competitive statewide races, but a new poll indicates that their leads might be narrowing as Election Day approaches.

The Suffolk University survey released Tuesday found GOP gubernatorial nominee leading Democrat Dan Onorato by seven points, 47 percent to 40 percent. Twelve percent are still undecided. And the poll showed Republican Pat Toomey holding a smaller, five-point lead in the Senate race against Democrat Joe Sestak, 45 percent…

September 28, 2010 at 3:13 pm | Comments (10)

Best moments came after the debate

The night started with Grey Goose martinis, Cabernet, buttered rolls, salad and a President Obama impersonator, who said America must “rebuild our roads and bridges so the American people can have a place to live under or jump from.”

For those scoring at home, that was a swipe at the $787 billion stimulus package passed in early 2009 by the Democratic-controlled Congress and signed by the Democratic president—an early turning point for this year’s election,…

September 28, 2010 at 12:50 pm | Comments (1)

Corbett & Onorato avoid specifics in first debate

One could call it a debate of unanswered questions.

Sharing a debate stage for the first time in their general election contest for governor, Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Dan Onorato rarely strayed far from their well-worn talking points. During the wonkish, hour-long debate moderated by veteran newsman Ted Koppel on Monday, the two candidates did their best dancing acts to avoid offering policy prescriptions that went beyond the most general statements of political principle.…

September 28, 2010 at 8:00 am | Comments (4)

AD WATCH: Onorato sticks to the record

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato’s introduction to general election voters has come in the form of two TV ads: one summarizing his record as Allegheny County executive and another one that, among other things, teaches voters how to pronounce his name.

The quirky, pronunciation one makes no disputed factual claims, and therefore earns our score of FAIR GAME. The longer, 60-second spot about his record in county government makes several factual claims. Taken together, we…

September 27, 2010 at 2:36 pm | Comments (1)