Onorato Closing Gap On Corbett In Race For Governor

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, the Democratic nominee for governor, has sliced two-thirds of the lead among likely voters from his Republican opponent, state Attorney General Tom Corbett, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released this morning.  Corbett still leads Onorato 49-44 percent but has lost ground since Sept. 21, when the last Quinnipiac University Poll showed him up 54-39 percent.

The poll found a similar effect among likely voters in Pennsylvania as poll released yesterday, that showed U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak closing to a dead heat against his Republican opponent, former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, in the race for the U.S. Senate.  Democratic voters, who have been considered unenthused, are starting to come around with less than two weeks until the Nov. 2 general election.

"As we get closer to Election Day, Democrats are showing more interest in voting. This is often the case in off-year elections and that makes this a more competitive race," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato has the momentum, but Attorney General Tom Corbett still has the five- point lead with 11 days to go.

The poll -- you can read it here -- of 1,046 likely voters conducted from Oct. 13-17 has a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.