Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey holds six-point lead over Senator Arlen Specter thanks to his strength with Republicans, likely voters and independents, according to a new poll.
The survey, by Susquehanna Polling & Research, found Toomey winning 42 percent of likely voters, compared to 36 percent for Specter and 18 percent who are still undecided.
The results cut against a couple recent polls that showed Specter retaking the lead against Toomey, but they’re in line with many other surveys conducted over the last several months. One key reason for the difference is Susquehanna’s specific selection of respondents; it polled only those who voted in general elections from 2005-2008, emphasizing off-year voters “to reflect likely turnout in a non-presidential general election.”
Susquehanna did not poll the Democratic Senate primary, nor did it survey a general election matchup between Toomey and Democrat Joe Sestak. The results cut against a couple recent polls that showed Specter retaking the lead against Toomey, but they’re in line with many other surveys conducted over the last several months. One key reason for the difference is Susquehanna’s specific selection of respondents; it polled only those who voted in general elections from 2005-2008, emphasizing off-year voters “to reflect likely turnout in a non-presidential general election.”
In its poll of 700 voters, which has a margin of error of 3.7 percent, Toomey won 75 percent of Republicans and 40 percent of independents (a 10-point lead over Specter in that group). Democrat favor Specter 59 percent to 14 percent, with 20 percent still undecided.
In an encouraging sign for Toomey, he leads Specter 43 percent to 33 percent among “super voters,” those who have voted in at least three of the last four general elections, according to the poll.
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