Despite a flood of negative television ads against his challenger, Gov. Tom Corbett cannot change the focus of what many Pennsylvania voters care about most—his poor record on education.
Corbett has not improved his standing with Pennsylvania voters, the latest poll shows. The biggest reason for his lack of improvement is his dismal record on public education.
The Republican governor continues to trail Democratic challenger Tom Wolf, with a new Franklin & Marshall College poll showing Wolf leading Corbett by a 49 to 24 percent margin among voters. The margin is roughly the same as a June survey.
During the summer Corbett has released a flood of TV ads accusing Wolf of using a Delaware registration to avoid paying corporate taxes in Pennsylvania.
The ads “aren’t playing with voters,” said Terry Madonna, director of the poll and the college’s Center for Politics and Public Affairs.
In the last few months, Madonna said Corbett has no legislative accomplishment and has given no new arguments for voting for him.
The Corbett campaign has denounced the Franklin & Marshall poll saying the poll assumes a 12-point turnout advantage for Democrats on Election Day, and polls many individuals who don’t regularly show up.
Assume the Corbett campaign is correct. That means the campaign is counting on winning based on Democrats not showing up to vote and not because the governor is popular with the voters.
What is clear and undeniable about the poll and the campaign so far, is what voter’s want.
According to the poll, Pennsylvanians rank education as the most important issue when considering who to elect governor.
Wolf is winning in the polls not only because voters see him as a capable, upbeat executive, but also because of Corbett’s record on education.
Municipalities across the state have had to raise local property taxes and slash school programs because of state funding cuts to public education.
The cash-strapped Philadelphia School District recently announced it will eliminate 81 positions to save the district $5.4 million.
The district faces an $81 million deficit and has warned of massive layoffs unless state lawmakers approve a $2-per-pack cigarette tax.
Last month school officials announced plans to cut another $32 million in services to free up enough money to start classes on time Sept. 8, but said it would mean no school buses for many high school students, buildings cleaned less frequently and school police officer vacancies going unfilled.
A lot can happen between now and Election Day in November, but what the polls show now is that voters want a governor who can do a better job on education.
(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)
