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New poll: Wolf has commanding lead in Dem gov race

Tom Wolf leads the Pa. Democratic gubernatorial race with 33 percent, to 7 percent for Allyson Schwartz, 6 percent for Treasurer Rob McCord and 4 percent for former DEP head Katie McGinty.

York businessman Tom Wolf continues to hold a commanding position in the Democratic race for governor, according to a Franklin & Marshall College Poll released Thursday.

Wolf was supported by 33 percent of registered Democratic voters, with 7 percent backing U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, 6 percent for state Treasurer Rob McCord and 4 percent favoring Katie McGinty, a former White House and state environmental official.

The relative positions of the candidates are virtually unchanged from a February F & M poll. Wolf , a millionaire who has given $10 million to his own campaign, began advertising before anybody else at the end of January. McGinty started in February, but has not matched Wolf in overall statewide volume.

"We have never seen such a successful introduction of a candidate," pollster Terry Madonna said of Wolf.

So far, the poll does not reflect much bump for McCord from the $1.8 million he spent on television from March 21 to April 1.

The poll did, however find 46 percent of registered Democrats undecided, a higher figure than in some other surveys but one that indicates a degree of potential fluidity in the race seven weeks before the May 20 primary.

Nearly three of four Democrats, or 71 percent, had seen a commercial for a primary candidate. Eighty-five percent said they had viewed a Wolf commercial, while 42 percent said they'd seen a McCord advertisement and 39 percent had seen a pitch for McGinty on their TV.

The poll is based on telephone interviews with 524 registered Democrats from March 25 to 31. Results are subject to a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.