Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro holds a double-digit lead over Republican challenger and state Treasurer Stacy Garrity in two statewide polls released this week.
A New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena poll conducted Aug. 17-21 among 760 Pennsylvania voters found Shapiro with 55% support for a second term, compared with 39% for Garrity. Of the respondents, 6% were undecided or declined to answer.
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Shapiro held a 50%-36% advantage over Garrity among independent voters.
Democrats overwhelmingly supported Shapiro, with 95% backing the governor and 2% supporting Garrity.
Among Republicans, 84% supported Garrity and 12% backed Shapiro.
The poll found 60% of voters approved of Shapiro’s performance as governor, while 33% disapproved.
Garrity’s favorability rating was 37%, compared with 26% who viewed her unfavorably.
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When voters were asked to choose their top priority for the governor’s race from 24 options, 22% selected the economy.
A separate survey released this week by the Center for Public Opinion at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster showed Shapiro ahead, with 50% support to Garrity’s 25%. Of the respondents, 18% were undecided or declined to answer.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
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The Franklin & Marshall poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.5 percentage points.
The Franklin & Marshall survey found that 47% of voters rated Shapiro’s job performance as excellent or good, while 47% rated it as fair or poor.
The poll also found widespread concern about personal finances, the economic stress, and President Donald Trump’s performance.
Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Brittany Primavera/U.S. Army
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In the New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena poll, 58% of likely voters disapproved of Trump’s job performance, while 39% approved. Trump won Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes in 2024.
Economic concerns also ranked prominently in the Franklin & Marshall survey, with 31% of voters identifying the economy as the state’s most pressing issue.
Among voters who prioritized economic concerns, Democrats were trusted over Republicans to handle the issue, 47% to 23%.
The New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena poll also measured opinions of Pennsylvania’s two U.S. senators.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman had a 49% favorable rating and a 43% unfavorable rating among likely voters.
Republican Sen. Dave McCormick was viewed favorably by 39% and unfavorably by 30%.
Among self-identified Republicans, Fetterman had a 79% favorable rating and a 17% unfavorable rating. McCormick’s ratings among Republicans were 66% favorable and 10% unfavorable.
The two senators, who often work together, received negative favorability ratings among self-identified Democrats in the poll.
The New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena poll also looked to the congressional landscape as Democrats target four Pennsylvania U.S. House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
One of those races is in the First Congressional District, where Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is facing Democratic Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie. A Democratic victory in the district could help the party gain control of the House in 2027.
The New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena poll did not provide individual results for the battleground House races, but it found that 51% of likely voters said they would vote for the Democratic candidate for Congress in their district if the election were held today, compared with 44% who said they would vote Republican.
Of the respondents, 53% of likely voters said they would prefer Democrats to control the U.S. House, while 44% preferred Republicans in control.
