New Poll Suggests Penn State Scandal Will be Major Factor in 2014 Governor’s Race

It’s looking to be a tough day for Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. First, a federal judge dismissed Corbett’s antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA. Now, a new poll hints that Pennsylvania voters are unhappy with Corbett’s handling of the whole Jerry Scandusky mess.

And the numbers suggest the Governor may face an uphill battle in next year’s gubernatorial race.

The Quinnipiac poll released today shows that 47 percent of Pennsylvania voters say the Penn State situation will be important in deciding their vote for governor next year. Gov. Corbett is facing a tough reelection battle against a plethora of Democratic hopefuls led by Philadelphia Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz.

“Despite a better-than-predicted record in the first post-Paterno season, all voters, even Penn State football fans, are still steamed with the NCAA for the harsh sanctions imposed on the legendary program,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

In all, 75 percent of respondents said that the sanctions hurt the football program. Forty-six percent said that the sanctions were too harsh, while just 32 percent said they were appropriate. Those numbers have changed somewhat from a January Quinnipiac poll that found that the sanctions were too severe by a 53 to 28 percent margin.

Also bad news for Corbett: 58 percent of PA voters surveyed believe that the former attorney general didn’t do enough to investigate Jerry Sandusky before he became governor.

“Pennsylvanians think Gov. Tom Corbett fumbled the Sandusky probe,” said Malloy. “It’s a penalty flag for the governor. Facing a blitz of solid Democratic defenders, he is going to have a hard time moving downfield.”

The governor’s office declined to comment on the Quinnipiac poll.

The poll also found that voter opinion of Joe Paterno is improving slightly. Forty-seven percent of respondents have a favorable opinion of the former coach, while 27 percent had an unfavorable opinion. That’s an improvement from a 43-29 margin in January. Respondents who were Penn State alumni had a 72 percent favorability rate for Paterno.

The poll surveyed 1,032 registered voters at the beginning of this month.