WASHINGTON – Two independent polls released Wednesday showed Sen. Rick Santorum continuing to trail Democrat Bob Casey among likely voters in the final days of the campaign.
In a Quinnipiac University poll of 933 likely voters, Casey led Santorum by 10 points, 52 percent to 42 percent. The same poll had Casey with a six-point advantage in September.
"Bob Casey remains strong," said Clay Richards, the pollster.
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A second, smaller Keystone Poll by Franklin & Marshall College showed Casey leading Santorum among voters by 17 points, 56 percent to 39 percent. The same poll showed Casey with a five-point edge in September.
Terry Madonna, who conducted the Keystone Poll, said unhappiness with the Iraq war combined with a dislike among the electorate of Santorum are the "two fundamental reasons this race is now in double digits" in his poll.
Forty-six percent of voters surveyed in the Keystone Poll said they had an unfavorable view of the two-term Santorum, compared with 29 percent who had an unfavorable view of Casey.
With less than a week to go before the Nov. 7 general election, Santorum had press conferences planned Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg to highlight his record on border security and child safety. He also planned to attend a rally in Philadelphia.
Casey, the state treasurer, had rallies and meet-and-greet events scheduled in Allentown and Philadelphia, including one with 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.
During a stop Tuesday in Pittsburgh, Santorum spoke of his opposition to the estate tax, saying it underscored a difference between him and Casey.
Casey spokesman Larry Smar said Casey "supports reform of the estate tax to help family farms and small businesses, but we can't afford to give huge tax breaks to people like Paris Hilton."
The Casey campaign also released a TV ad Tuesday touting the newspaper endorsements he has collected. "Bob Casey, because Pennsylvania needs a new senator and our country needs a new direction," the ad says.
The Quinnipiac poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The Keystone Poll was based on telephone interviews with 335 likely voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. It was conducted by pollsters at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster and commissioned by the Philadelphia Daily News; The Patriot-News in Harrisburg; WGAL-TV in Lancaster; the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; and WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh.
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