F&M poll shows Trump holding steady in Pa.
Trump's base in Pennsylvania has maintained its support for him since February. (AP Photo)
A new poll shows President Donald Trump’s approval ratings in Pennsylvania have stayed fairly stable since he took office five months ago — a trend that is reflected nationwide.
The survey by Franklin and Marshall puts Trump’s Pennsylvania rating at 37 percent, which is a five percent increase from F&M’s last poll in February.
Poll director Terry Madonna said that doesn’t reflect the recent controversy surrounding Trump firing FBI Director James Comey. But he added, he thinks that wouldn’t matter much to Trump’s supporters anyway.
“These are voters who don’t waver very much,” he said. “Many of them live in the southwest, live in the northeastern part of our state. These are voters who are vehemently anti-establishment.”
Other numbers that have stayed stable?
Governor Tom Wolf’s approval rating, which clocks in at 41 percent ahead of his 2018 reelection bid. Madonna said that’s roughly where former governor Ed Rendell’s rating was near the end of his first term, and he won a second one easily.
Democratic US Senator Bob Casey is also up for reelection, and is holding steady at about 38 percent approval, which was enough to keep him in office five years ago.
Madonna said one of the poll’s biggest revelations isn’t election-related at all.
“For the first time,” he said, “the Franklin and Marshall College Poll showed a majority of the voters in favor of the legalization of marijuana.”
A total of 56 percent of voters now port recreational marijuana legalization — a huge leap over the last several years.
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