PA Poll: Democrat John Fetterman Holds 5-Point Lead over Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz in Senate Race

Democrat John Fetterman holds a five-point lead over Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania’s race for U.S. Senate, according to a poll.

The CBS/YouGov released Wednesday shows that 47 percent of registered voters back Oz, a celebrity doctor, while 52 percent support Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor. Another one percent remain undecided. The candidates evenly split the independent demographic, with both garnering 49 percent of the response, but Fetterman is doing better with Democrats than Oz is doing with Republicans. Of Democrat participants, 95 percent say they support Fetterman, and 87 percent of Republicans back Oz, who has former President Donald J. Trump’s endorsement.

Pennsylvania Senate:
Fetterman (D) 52% (+5)
Oz (R) 47%
.
Pennsylvania Governor:
Shapiro (D) 55% (+11)
Mastriano (R) 44%

.@YouGovAmerica/@CBSNewsPoll, 1,188 LV, 9/6-12https://t.co/Efyqz1OTFf

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Respondents were asked how important it is to see Oz and Fetterman square off in a debate. A plurality of registered voters (42 percent) say it is essential, while 23 percent say it is “somewhat important.” Just seven percent believe a debate is not necessary.

The poll also gauged where registered voters stand in the Keystone State’s gubernatorial race between Republican State Sen. Doug Mastriano and Pennsylvania’s Democrat attorney general, Josh Shapiro. Shapiro holds a double-digit lead over Mastriano, at 55 percent and 44 percent, respectively. The Democrat also has an advantage among independent voters, garnering 52 percent of the population’s support as opposed to Mastriano’s 46 percent.

The majority of respondents (56 percent) say they “feel things in Pennsylvania today are going” poorly to varying degrees. Of respondents, 37 say things are going “somewhat badly,” and 19 percent say they are going “very badly.” More than seven in ten Republicans and almost six in ten independents believe things are going poorly, while the majority of Democrats think they are going well.

Participants were also asked to rate the importance of issues facing Pennsylvanians, and their responses bode well for Republicans. The “economy” and “inflation” received the highest clip of “very important” responses at 80 percent and 78 percent, respectively. They were followed by crime at 65 percent and “election and voting issues” at 64 percent. The issue of “abortion” received the sixth highest “very important” response rate.

This poll sampled 1,195 registered voters from September 6-12 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.