Poll: Santorum Edge in PA Slipping

The Franklin & Marshall College Poll…the 20th consecutive year of polling in Pennsylvania

Below are the highlights of the March, 2012, Franklin & Marshall College Poll of Pennsylvania Republican voters. Complete results can be found at http://politics.fandm.edu

The March 2012 Franklin and Marshall College Poll finds former US Senator Rick Santorum losing ground in his home state as he has nationally. Senator Santorum leads Mitt Romney now by a narrower margin among Pennsylvania Republicans, 30% to 28%, than he did in February when he led Romney, 45% to 16%. Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich trail with 9% and 6% respectively. The Republican race for US Senate in Pennsylvania remains wide open as an unprecedented four in five voters remain undecided in the race.

Complete results, including detailed methodology, can be found at http://politics.fandm.edu.
1. Most of those who have expressed a preference for Santorum (70%) or Romney (67%) are "certain" they will vote for them in April’s Pennsylvania primary.
2. Santorum’s supporters prefer him because they believe he has a strong moral character (38%) or is the true conservative in the race (28%). Romney’s supporters prefer him because they believe he can beat President Obama (37%) or because of his experience (35%).
3. Nearly one in five (18%) Romney supporters in Pennsylvania may vote against the Republican nominee in November if Romney loses the nomination. Only one in twenty (6%) Santorum voters express this sentiment.
4. Rick Santorum’s favorable rating among Pennsylvania Republicans rose from 46% in January to 63% in February but has now dipped to 54%. Mitt Romney’s favorable ratings have remained more consistent among Pennsylvania Republicans (January 42%, February 40%, March 46%).
These results reflect interviews with 505 Pennsylvania Republican registered adults conducted by the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College from March 20-25, 2012 (sample error of +/- 4.2).

The Franklin & Marshall College Poll is produced in conjunction with the Philadelphia Daily News, WGAL-TV (South Central PA), Pittsburgh Tribune Review, WTAE-TV (Pittsburgh), WPVI-TV6/ABC (Philadelphia), Times-Shamrock Newspapers, Harrisburg Patriot-News, and Lancaster Newspapers. It may be used in whole or in part, provided any use is attributed to Franklin & Marshall College.

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