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Quinnipiac Poll: Toomey Gaining Ground On Specter

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: President Obama and Vice President Biden welcomed Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter into the Democratic Party on April 29.
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When U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter switched parties from Republican to Democrat -- and stood in the embrace of his old friend Vice President Joe Biden and his new friend President Obama, he left the Republican field wide open to his old nemesis -- former Congressman Pat Toomey.

Specter was forthright that he could not beat Toomey in the Republican primary, but could defeat him in the general election.

The latest Quinnipiac Poll suggests the November election could be closer than some might have thought.

If the election were held today instead of 17 months from now, Specter would defeat Toomey by just nine points -- 46 percent to 37 percent.

More worrisome for Specter is the so-called vote-to-reelect question.

When asked does Arlen Specter deserve to be reelected, 43 percent say yes and 42 percent say no.

When a well-known incumbent falls below 50 percent in this question, that spells political problems.

Some good news for Specter is that his likely Democratic challenger, Congressman Joe Sestak of suburban Philadelphia, is still so unknown across the state that Specter easily beats him in a Democratic primary.

Among Democrats, Specter polls 50 percent, Sestak 21 percent, with 27 percent undecided.

Sestak has not officially announced and if he does he has nearly a year to get better known to Democrats.