Palin joins GOP ticket, boosts polls in Pa.

‘ ‘ ‘ Sen. Barack Obama leads Sen. John McCain by 3 percent in Pennsylvania, according to the… ‘ ‘ ‘ Sen. Barack Obama leads Sen. John McCain by 3 percent in Pennsylvania, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll released today. ‘ ‘ ‘ According to the poll, Obama is still up 48 percent to McCain’s 45 percent after the two party conventions, compared to 29 percent to 42 percent from an Aug. 26 poll. ‘ ‘ ‘ The shift is mainly credited to McCain’s vice presidential choice, Gov. Sarah Palin. ‘ ‘ ‘ Clay Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said he believes the vice presidential picks influenced the latest numbers, but the impact will only be temporary. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘There are a lot of unhappy women and ‘Reagan Democrats’ who switched to McCain strictly because of this strong, extremely conservative VP candidate that just happens to be a woman,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ But 61 percent said that the vice president has no effect on who they vote for, and [as] we all hear their stances on the issues, that number will grow. ‘ ‘ ‘ Richards said that three demographic groups shifted in favor of McCain, while two went for Obama. The largest move was among independent voters, who narrowed a 10-point Obama advange to a one-point McCain lead. ‘ ‘ ‘ Independents in Pennsylvania are virtually in a dead heat right now, he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ They helped narrow the overall gap for McCain, and they’re probably the most significant because they are the ones who determine elections. ‘ ‘ ‘ White women and blue-collar workers also increased their support for McCain, both jumping by five points. ‘ ‘ ‘ Catholics and former Clinton supporters favored Obama, increasing their percentage points by double digits. ‘ ‘ ‘ Of the 1,001 Pennsylvanians polled, 51 percent believe that the economy is currently the most urgent issue on the public’s mind. ‘ ‘ ‘ Richards said the public is more focused on issues directly affecting them than anything else. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘If you add energy and health care into the economy question, that is 72 percent of the people’s concern,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘People want to know what the candidates plan to do to fix their problems.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘They want answers,’ he added. ‘We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, especially after the debates.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The polling took place from Sept. 5-9, and it asked voters 12 questions. ‘ ‘ ‘ Florida and Ohio also participated in the survey, showing 50 to 43 percent for McCain in Florida and 48 to 45 percent for Obama in Ohio.