Lots of Undecideds in Matthews/Specter Match
Raleigh, N.C. – A Public Policy Polling survey of Pennsylvania voters conducted shortly
before last week’s election found that MSNBC host Chris Matthews would have a shot if
he ran as a Democrat for the US Senate against long time Republican incumbent Arlen
Specter in 2010.
Specter polls at just 40% in a potential match up with Matthews. That’s still a 13 point
lead over the potential challenger, who gets 27%, but 33% of the electorate is undecided
about how they would vote in such a contest, an indication that they’re at least open to
the thought of supporting Matthews.
There is good news and bad news for a possible Matthews candidacy within the numbers.
30% of Democrats say they would support Specter if Matthews was the candidate. He
would likely have difficulty winning if he didn’t have his party more lined up behind him
than that. At the same time 32% of Republicans say they’re not sure who they would
vote for in such a contest, an indication that his celebrity could make it possible for him
to win some crossover support.
“Arlen Specter would definitely start out as the favorite if Chris Matthews challenged
him,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “But this poll provides
clear evidence that a Matthews candidacy is not a non-starter. Pennsylvania voters would
listen to what he has to say and give him a shot.”
Matthews is most popular with young voters, among whom he has a 33-20 advantage.
Specter does well with older voters, leading 54-23.
PPP surveyed 1,529 likely voters from October 31st to November 2nd. The survey’s
margin of error is +/-2.5%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and
weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.
Complete results are attached and can be found at www.publicpolicypolling.com.
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_MatthewsSpecter.pdf