2011 Luzerne County Elections

September 30, 2008

Carney leading, Lycoming College poll says

Most recent survey for 10th District race has incumbent ahead by nearly 10 points.

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
Andrew M. Seder on Facebook   |   @TLAndrewSeder on Twitter

A Lycoming College poll released Monday shows U.S. Rep. Chris Carney ahead of his Republican challenger, Chris Hackett, by 10 points. Carney, D-Dimock Township, has a lead of 45.7 percent to 36.1 percent over Hackett of Kingston Township. Of the 460 likely voters, 18.2 percent said they were undecided.

The margin of error is 4.6 percent.

The Lycoming College survey is the third poll released for the 10th District race.

A poll conducted Aug. 19-21 by Momentum Analysis, a Washington-based polling firm that primarily serves Democrats, showed Carney ahead of Hackett by a 2-to-1 margin. Of the 400 likely district voters polled, 54 percent said they’d vote for the incumbent, while 27 percent said their vote goes to Hackett.

A SurveyUSA poll conducted Aug. 23-25 exclusively for the Washington, D.C., non-partisan political newspaper Roll Call, asked 623 likely voters who had their vote. Carney was supported by 49 percent, compared to 45 percent for Hackett. The difference was within the poll’s four-point margin of error.

Carney for Congress campaign manager Vince Rongione said the lead is significant and a testament that Carney’s voting record mirrors the district’s values.

“Chris Carney stands up for our veterans, and fought to pass a new GI Bill, he’s protecting our seniors and introduced a caregiver tax credit, he’s working to keep jobs right here in Pennsylvania with our Made in America legislation. Just this week, Carney’s legislation to crack down on child predators passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate.”

In a release from Lycoming College Polling Institute, Jonathan Williamson, director of its Center for the Study of Community and the Economy, said, “Carney’s efforts over the last two years to build support among Republications and Independents appear to be paying off.”

Hackett campaign manager Mark Harris reads the poll results another way. He sees it as a positive sign for a challenger when the incumbent who’s had two years to build name recognition and establish a voting record can’t surpass the 50 percent mark. He called the race “winnable” and said there’s still five weeks for Hackett to get his message out.

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