Poll: Corbett speaks what he believes ... but few like what he's saying

CALL IT a split decision for Gov. Corbett's re-election campaign.

A Daily News/Franklin & Marshall College Poll being released today shows a majority of registered voters, 54 percent, think Corbett says what he believes, not what people want to hear.

The same amount, 54 percent, told the pollsters they don't believe Corbett cares about them.

In a continuing string of bad polling, this new survey found that just one in four voters, 23 percent, say Corbett should win a second term in November.

Even the people who said Corbett deserves re-election waffled when asked if they will vote for him "no matter who runs against him." Of those voters, 42 percent said yes, 40 percent said no and 18 percent were unsure.

"They're still not sure they're going to vote for him," said poll director G. Terry Madonna. "That shows you how undecided and volatile this election is."

Madonna's next poll, in late February, will test the public's opinion on eight largely unknown Democratic candidates in the May 20 primary election.

Three out of every five voters, 62 percent, in today's poll said the state is headed in the wrong direction, a pessimistic political climate for a struggling governor.

Creating jobs, boosting the economy and improving public education ranked as top concerns for voters. Those same issues were cited by 42 percent of voters to explain why they think Corbett has done "only a fair job" and 30 percent of voters who said he has done a "poor job."

Two of Corbett's first-term goals, privatizing the state's liquor-store system and lottery, barely registered as concerns for voters in the poll.

"The priorities of the voters don't match up with what he's done," Madonna said.

Corbett campaign manager Mike Barley said the governor's numbers are on the rise.

"We will continue to work on getting out Governor Corbett's message of government reform, lower taxes, historic levels of state support for basic education, and I am confident that his numbers will continue to improve," Barley said.

As the General Assembly debates marijuana policy, today's poll shows that 58 percent of voters oppose legalization while 36 percent support it.

Those numbers tilt the other way when voters are asked if adults should be allowed to use marijuana for medical purposes with a doctor's recommendation.

Eighty-one percent support that, while 16 percent oppose it.

A collection of proposed laws to legalize gay marriage has the support of 57 percent of voters, while 37 percent are opposed to such proposals. A strong majority, 74 percent, support legislation to make it illegal to discriminate in employment or housing because of a person's sexual orientation or gender identity while 25 percent said they oppose that.