F&M: Low Obama approval, but leads GOP

The latest Franklin & Marshall poll shows Barack Obama with the low approval ratings (though not as low as Pat Toomey) in the state, but he still leads hypothetical matchups with all leading GOP presidential contenders.

From F&M's Terry Madonna:

As in March Pennsylvania voters remain pessimistic about the performance of the state’s leading political figures. The job performance ratings for President Barack Obama (34% positive) , Governor Tom Corbett (32% positive), and Senators Bob Casey (32% positive) and Pat Toomey (29% positive) are each more negative than positive.  Governor Corbett’s job performance rating is well below the ratings that Ed Rendell and Tom Ridge received at this early point in their gubernatorial tenures.  In 30 surveys conducted between 1991 and 2011, the average positive gubernatorial job performance rating is 46%.

More (52%) of the state’s voters believe it is time for a change than believe President Obama deserves re-election (41%). Still, Pennsylvania is a state where Democrats hold a tremendous voter registration advantage over Republicans.  Consequently, President Obama leads in match-ups with several Republican opponents, but a large number of voters remain undecided in each of these match-ups.  Mitt Romney runs best against the president in Pennsylvania while Michelle Bachmann trails the president significantly.

Obama 36 percent, Romney 30 percent, other 8 percent, don’t know 27 percent
Obama 42 percent, Bachmann 23 percent, other 12 percent, don’t know 22 percent
Obama 38 percent, Perry 27 percent, other 10 percent, don’t know 26 percent
Obama 39 percent, Santorum 31 percent, other 10 percent, don’t know 20 percent