Poll: Women boost Corbett’s ratings

HARRISBURG - Gov. Corbett is more popular these days - and he has women to thank for it.

A Quinnipiac University poll released today said changing attitudes among women voters has helped give Corbett a 44-36 percent job approval rating, a cushy boost over his dismal 39-38 percent rating in June.

And that's better than a lot of his governor colleagues in neighboring states, the survey found: Ohio Gov. John Kasich had only a 35 percent approval rating, with a whopping 50 percent disapproving, as of last month. And New Jersey Gov. Christopher J. Christie had a 44-47 percent score.

Kasich and Christie, the poll found, were plagued by big negatives among women voters.

Not so for Corbett. Women gave the Republican a narrowly negative 37-41 percent approval, compared to negative 30-43 percent mark in June. Men approve 51-31 percent, compared to 48-34 percent in June.

Voters overall, the poll found, said they like Corbett as a person (48-15 percent, with 37 percent undecided), but not his policies as much (43-40 percent).

His handling of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale may have something to do with that. Pennsylvanians overall support the activity, but want it to be taxed or subject to some sort of fee.

Corbett has said he is opposed to a tax but would consider a so-called local impact fee, as long as the money raised from it goes directly to those communities impacted by drilling.

Voters appear to be warming to that idea, according to the poll. They support a new tax 63-28 percent, but an even larger swath, 78-17 percent, support a fee.

To conduct the poll, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,358 registered voters July 25-31. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.