With the Nov. 3 general election nearing, a new batch of polls brought good news for Pennsylvania Democrats, with Gov. Josh Shapiro maintaining a lead over his Republican opponent, Treasurer Stacy Garrity, while Democratic challengers hold narrow leads in competitive congressional districts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One poll<\/a>, conducted by The New York Times, Siena University and The Philadelphia Inquirer, surveyed voters on Pennsylvania\u2019s 2026 race for governor, attitudes toward President Donald Trump, and this year\u2019s congressional races. The other poll<\/a>, from Franklin & Marshall University, surveyed voters in Pennsylvania\u2019s battleground 7th and 10th Congressional Districts \u2013 both currently held by Republicans.\u00a0<\/p>\n City & State broke down the key takeaways from both polls for a closer look at what the latest numbers mean for major races across the commonwealth.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shapiro leads Garrity by 20 in latest New York Times poll<\/p>\n The latest poll on Pennsylvania\u2019s governor race<\/a> shows Shapiro continuing to hold a commanding<\/a> lead over Garrity.<\/p>\n The poll surveyed 615 voters from Sept. 15 to 22. Of those polled, 58% said they would vote for Shapiro if the race were held today, compared to 38% who would vote for Garrity; 4% were undecided. The New York Times put Shapiro\u2019s overall lead at 21 points based on unrounded vote shares.\u00a0<\/p>\n A majority of voters said they approve of the job Shapiro is doing as governor, with 60% of voters saying they strongly or somewhat approve of how he is handling the job; 33% said they strongly or somewhat disapprove of his job performance. Additionally, 63% of voters said they have a favorable opinion of the incumbent governor, while 32% said they had an unfavorable opinion.\u00a0<\/p>\n When asked the same question about Garrity, 29% said they had a favorable view of the state treasurer, 27% said they had an unfavorable view and 33% said they hadn\u2019t heard of her.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other available polling in the race has also shown Shapiro with a lead over Garrity. A poll<\/a> released in early August by National Public Affairs Polling, a GOP polling firm, showed Shapiro with support from 50% of likely voters and Garrity at 43%. Of those surveyed, 7% said they were undecided. A Franklin & Marshall College poll<\/a> released in late August showed Shapiro with a 25-point lead over Garrity in the race for governor, 50% to 25%.<\/p>\n This month\u2019s New York Times poll also asked voters about their views on Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman in the wake of Wall Street Journal reporting that portrayed him as having little interest in his day-to-day duties as a U.S. senator. The senator also recently appeared at the Republican Party\u2019s midterm convention<\/a>, introducing his colleague, Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick.\u00a0<\/p>\n Of those surveyed, 42% had a favorable view of Fetterman, while 47% had an unfavorable view of the state\u2019s senior U.S. senator.\u00a0<\/p>\n When asked the same question about Trump, 38% said they had a favorable view of the president and 61% said they had an unfavorable view of him.<\/p>\n Democrats hold narrow leads in PA-7 and PA-10, though many remain undecided<\/p>\n In Pennsylvania, Democrats have their sights set on four congressional seats currently held by Republicans, and according to a new poll from Franklin & Marshall College, Democrats hold narrow leads in two of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the state\u2019s 7th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, Democratic candidate and firefighters union leader Bob Brooks holds a five-point lead over the incumbent congressman, with 16% of voters undecided.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the survey, 45% of voters said they would vote for Brooks if the election were held today, compared to 40% who would vote for Mackenzie.\u00a0<\/p>\n Similarly, in the state\u2019s 10th Congressional District, former TV anchor and Democratic nominee Janelle Stelson leads Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry by 47% to 44%, with 9% of respondents undecided.\u00a0<\/p>\n