Obama Tied with Romney, Santorum in Pennsylvania

By Steven Shepard

Updated: August 3, 2011 | 12:12 p.m.
August 2, 2011 | 8:56 a.m.

President Obama has seen his popularity dip significantly in the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania and is now tied in matchups with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released early Tuesday.

A majority of Keystone State voters now disapproves of the job Obama is doing as president. Just 43 percent of voters approve of his job performance, while 54 percent disapprove. That marks a significant decline from mid-June, when voters were split evenly on Obama.

Romney holds a 44-42 percent lead over Obama, reversing a seven-point edge for the president in June. Santorum now trails Obama, 45 percent to 43 percent; in June, he trailed by 11 points.

Santorum's mini-surge comes from his base in western Pennsylvania. He posts a 24-point lead in the southwest portion of the state, and he also leads by double-digits in the central and northwest sections of the state, nearly overcoming Obama's leads in the eastern half of the Keystone State, including Philadelphia and its suburbs.

Republicans prefer Romney over Santorum, however, 21 percent to 14 percent.

Obama also leads Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., 47 percent and 39 percent, and he also leads Texas Gov. Rick Perry, 45 percent to 39 percent.

But while Obama's numbers have suffered over the past six weeks, Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., has held steady. Now, 48 percent approve of the job he is doing, while just 29 percent disapprove. Even Republicans are split on Casey's performance: 39 percent approve and 39 percent disapprove.

More voters (47 percent) would vote for Casey against a generic Republican opponent (35 percent), and a plurality (47 percent) says he deserves to be re-elected, while just 33 percent of voters say he does not.

Both parties in Congress are deeply unpopular in the Keystone State, according to the poll. Congressional Democrats and Republicans earn a woeful 28-percent approval rating among Pennsylvania voters, and more than two-thirds of voters disapprove of each party.

The Quinnipiac poll was conducted July 25-31. The poll surveyed 1,358 registered voters, for a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percent. There were 532 Republicans, for a margin of error of +/- 4.3 percent.

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