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August 22, 2010

GOP ahead in area Congress tilts

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
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Lou Barletta has amazing name recognition. Tom Marino does not. But a recent poll shows both Republicans ahead of incumbent Democrats in races for U.S. House seats representing Northeastern Pennsylvania.

In polling of 400 likely voters in the 10th District, U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, D-Dimock Twp., had a distinct 94-59 percent advantage over Marino when it came to name recognition. But poll results show Marino would get 52 percent of the votes, compared to 37 percent for Carney. Eleven percent were undecided. There is a 4.9 percent margin of error.

In the 11th District, polling of 400 likely voters shows U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, with a 96-93 percent lead over Barletta in name recognition. The slim difference may be because Barletta has run for the seat two times previously.

But poll results show Barletta receiving 52 percent of the vote, compared to just 41 percent for Kanjorski, a 13-term congressman. Seven percent were undecided. Sixty-three percent said it’s time for someone else to represent the district, while 31 percent said Kanjorski deserves re-election.

Spokesmen for Carney and Kanjorski dismissed the polls as biased.

Polling was done at the end of July and early August by Virginia-based Ayres, McHenry & Associates Inc. The company, on its website, says it “specializes in providing research and strategic advice for corporations, associations, and Republican candidates for public office.”

Hired to conduct the polls by the Republican-leaning American Action Forum, the firm called registered voters in both districts and surveyed only those who said they were likely to vote. Callers asked questions related to the incumbent and challenger. Questions also surveyed the respondents on, among other things, the most important issue facing the country today that concerns them the most, their support of the tea party movement and their support of the recently enacted health care reform law.

Josh Drobnyk, campaign spokesman for Carney, derided the poll and its results.

“This is a partisan poll done for special interests. Of course its results are going to be dramatically skewed.”

Kanjorski campaign spokesman Ed Mitchell said the poll means little.

“In 2008, Republicans and Barletta constantly put out new polls showing him winning and you know the results that year.”

Other poll results in the 10th District show 32 percent support the health care reform act, which Carney voted in favor of, while 56 percent oppose it. When asked if Carney deserved re-election, 57 percent said no, 27 percent said yes and 16 percent said they didn’t know or had no opinion.

Barletta received a favorability response of 54 percent, Kanjorski 41 percent. President Barack Obama received a favorable rating from 45 percent of those surveyed.

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