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WILKES-BARRE — A recent poll conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research, a national firm, shows former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta as clear leader in the anticipated race for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania governor in 2022.

Jim Lee, President/CEO/Founder of Susquehanna Polling &amp; Research, Inc., said the firm is a Pennsylvania-based survey research and polling firm with a national reputation for expert polling for corporate, consumer and political clients.

Lee said the independent poll used a potential field of five candidates who reports say are considering running for the GOP nomination for governor.

The poll results showed Barletta, 65 of Hazleton, leading a field of five potential candidates, with the support of 20% of Republicans. Pennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, was the second highest vote-getter at 11%, followed by 3% each for U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas; and former U.S. Attorney William McSwain. Former Lt. Governor Jim Cawley, a Bucks County native who served under former Gov. Tom Corbett, finished last at 2%.

Some 60% of Republican voters are still undecided, the poll showed.

“The poll is certainly something that grabs my attention,” said Barletta, who said he intends to make a decision within the next couple of weeks. “I have always worked hard to advance policies that are best for Pennsylvanians and it is encouraging to see in the poll that many feel the same way. Clearly my recent statewide run is a big factor because Republicans across the commonwealth know who I am. I am discussing with my family, but it is absolutely something I am considering. The results of that poll will help inform my decision.”

Barletta said Pennsylvanians have seen the direction Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat serving his second 4-year term, and the Democrats have taken the Commonwealth

“And it’s not good,” Barletta said. “There needs to be a change in Harrisburg. It’s governors like Wolf that crushed small businesses and entrepreneurs. He made this crisis much worse than it had to be. And the scandal most lagging in coverage in Pennsylvania is the nursing home scandal. (New York. Gov. Andrew) Cuomo is not alone.”

Meuser comments

Meuser said he is being encouraged to strongly consider running for governor.

“That is a prospect I don’t take lightly, but am seriously considering,” Meuser said. “With the right governor, Pennsylvania could be the new Texas. Not only because of our energy reserves, but much more.”

Meuser said he feels he has the business experience necessary to be ‘results-focused on the greater good, for all Pennsylvanians,” and to create a compelling atmosphere for attracting businesses.

“During my four years as Secretary of Revenue, we proved a state agency can work for the people, not against,” Meuser said. “I also learned how to work with the General Assembly — Republicans and Democrats.”

Meuser said serving in Congress, along with all his travels throughout the commonwealth, he know Pennsylvania and he will get to know it better as he explores a possible candidacy.

“I love our state and I’m interested in playing a leading role in making Pennsylvania as great as it can be for all Pennsylvanians,” he said.

Regarding the poll, Meuser said a campaign for governor is a long road.

“Polls for this will begin mattering at the beginning of next year after a lot of work,” he said.

Key takeaways

Lee said that Susquehanna Polling and Research is a national firm that has been profiled on two different segments of CBS’s Inside Edition and other national platforms “for its unmatched accuracy in five key battleground states in the 2020 presidential election.

Lee said the key takeaways of the Pennsylvania GOP governor’s poll showed:

• On total name identification, Barletta is known by 67% of Republican voters, making him the candidate with the highest total name ID. This includes 23% who view him favorably, and 11% who view him unfavorably.

Mastriano rates second highest in total name awareness, at 66% (a ratio of 22:5 in favorable/unfavorable name ID), with Cawley third highest (54% total name ID), followed by Meuser (43%) and McSwain (40%).

• Barletta leads other GOP hopefuls in three critical areas of Pennsylvania, including the conservative “T”/Central (at 36% v. Mastriano 18%, Cawley 5%); the Northeast/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton media market (at 37% v. Mastriano 10%, Meuser 6%); and the Southcentral/Harrisburg/Lancaster/Perry market (at 29% v. Mastriano 11%, Cawley 3%, Meuser 2%, McSwain 1%).

These three areas combined account for more than 50 percent of the GOP vote in a Republican primary on a statewide basis.

• Former President Donald Trump has a stellar 83:12 ratio in favorable to unfavorable likeability among Republican voters, suggesting that GOP voters are stalwart in their support for the former President, and that any GOP candidate for governor who is a supporter of the former President would presumably benefit from a potential Trump endorsement.

Methodology

• Interviews were conducted Feb. 16-Feb. 24, 2021, with 700 likely voters in Pennsylvania, including a subset of 272 registered Republicans identified through self-selection response during the interview phase.

Survey respondents are randomly contacted using random selection procedures, and all telephone interviews are conducted using live telephone agents.

The sample frame was compiled using random telephone sequence methods, and includes both landline and cellular households, purchased from a certified vendor list; all households are pre-screened to eliminate household telephone numbers on the federal Do Not Call registry in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws.

Only known registered voters were contacted, compiled from a list of households with prior vote history in 1 of 4 or better general elections.

Interviews are closely monitored to ensure a representative sample of the Pennsylvania electorate is achieved based on party registration, geography, gender, age cohort and other demographics; results are sometimes statistically weighted to adjust for coverage bias or non-response error.

The margin of error for a sample size of 700 interviews is +/-3.7% at the 95% confidence level, or +/-5.9% for a subset of 272 interviews with registered Republicans.

Poll shows Barletta favored by GOP voters to run for governor