Poll shows Rendell with lead over Fisher
HARRISBURG – With the gubernatorial election a little more than a few months away, Democrat Ed Rendell has jumped out to a 15-percent lead among likely voters over Republican Mike Fisher, according to the latest poll. If the election were held now, Rendell would get 54 percent of the vote to Fisher’s 39 percent, with 6 percent saying they would vote for another candidate and 2 percent still undecided.
The poll was conducted by KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh and surveyed 625 likely voters statewide over the course of three nights, July 13 to 15. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent.
“I don’t put any stock in that poll whatsoever,” said Fisher Campaign Manager Kent Gates. “I think it has consistently been proven to be faulty in previous elections.”
But Rendell spokesman Dan Fee said the latest numbers jive with other polls.
“It shows that people are responding strongly to our plans to create good jobs and good wages, improve the education system for every child and help make health care accessible and affordable,” Fee said.
Since winning the Democratic primary in May over state Auditor General Bob Casey Jr., Rendell has held a firm lead over Fisher, the state attorney general.
The key to Rendell’s primary victory was his overwhelming support in southeastern Pennsylvania, where he carried about 80 percent of the vote. The former mayor of Philadelphia remains strong in the region, holding a 75-19 percent edge among those surveyed for the KDKA poll.
The two candidates are about even in the other large voting base, western Pennsylvania. The poll shows Fisher leading Rendell 46-44 percent.
Political analysts believe that Fisher, a former state senator from the Pittsburgh area, will need to increase his support in the western part of the state in order to beat Rendell.
Rendell holds a comfortable lead over Fisher in the other parts of the state.
KDKA’s new poll reflects a three-point gain for Rendell from its first tracking poll in the race, conducted one month ago. Then, Rendell was leading Fisher 51-39 percent.
In a poll released a few days before the Democratic primary, KDKA showed Rendell with 48 percent and Casey with 42 percent. Rendell ended up winning the race by 56 to 44 percent.
Polls conducted last month by Millersville University and Quinnipiac University in Connecticut showed Rendell leading Fisher by 12 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
But Fisher’s campaign manager said he is skeptical about the polls, especially KDKA’s poll.
In 1999, the station’s poll showed Cyril Wecht having a large lead over Jim Roddey in the race for chief executive of Allegheny County, Gates said, but Roddey won the race.
A spokesman for Survey USA, which conducts KDKA’s polls, defended the accuracy of its polls.
“Three pollsters worked the [Roddey] race. All three got it wrong,” said Jay Leve. “Survey USA stands by its research. We’re the largest media pollster in the country.”
Gates added that it’s not surprising that Rendell has an early lead in the polls, considering that he spent $18 million on the primary, which enabled him to gain name recognition. Rendell has about $1 million left in his campaign fund, Fee said.
Fisher, however, has spent about $1.7 million and has $5.3 million left, Gates said.
Rendell and Fisher both made stops in Greene County on Saturday. Fisher will campaign in Bucks County on Monday and Rendell will be in Philadelphia.
Rendell plans to return to western Pennsylvania later in the week.