Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

October 14, 2009

Specter Staring at "Near Fatal" Re-Election Numbers

A new Susquehanna Polling and Research survey finds that only 31% of Pennsylvania voters believe Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) should be re-elected, and 59% believe it's time to give someone else a chance.

Said pollster Jim Lee: "When I see a re-elect in the low 30s, that's ... near fatal."

In the general election, Specter remains locked in a statistical dead heat with Pat Toomey (R), 41% to 41% with 12% undecided.

In a Democratic primary, Specter holds a 44% to 16% lead over challenger Rep. Joe Sestak (D), with 22% of voters undecided. Interestingly, 18% of those polled said they would not vote for either candidate or would vote for someone else.

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Taegan D. Goddard is the creator of Political Wire, a political column updated around the clock with the most interesting news, buzz and commentary.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

This is a personal site and does not necessarily reflect the views of any company, political campaign or advocacy group.

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