Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Gov. Tom Corbett has received a positive job approval by state voters, a poll released this morning said.
The Republican governor is enjoying a 44-36 percent job approval, his first noticeable boost since he took office in January, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.
The results are a significant jump from Mr. Corbett’s 39-38 percent approval rating June 14.
Women narrowly give Mr. Corbett a negative rating, 41-37 percent, a somewhat marked change from a negative 43-30 percent mark in June. Men approve, however, 51-31 percent, compared to 48-34 percent approval in June.
Voters polled said they like their governor as a person, 48-15 percent, with 37 percent still undecided. However, the voters disapprove, 45-41 percent, of the way Mr. Corbett is handling the state budget.
The economic benefits of drilling for natural gas in Marcellus Shale outweigh environmental concerns, 59-32 percent, the poll said, compared to 63-20 percent support in June.
Voters support, 63-28 percent, a new tax on companies drilling for natural gas in Marcellus Shale. That includes a 53-38 percent support among Republicans, Voters also support, by a large margin — 78-17 percent — a proposed fee on drilling companies with proceeds used to reimburse communities for the impact of drilling.
From July 25 through Sunday, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,358 registered voters in the state with a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11215/1164798-100.stm