District by district – Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA-07

Single point separates the candidates

{mosads}In
the race to fill the seat of Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), Republican
Patrick Meehan leads Democrat Bryan Lentz by just a single point — 40
percent to 39. And 20 percent of likely voters remain undecided in this
district, according to The Hill’s 2010 Midterm Election Poll.

It’s
a historically Republican district that has been trending Democratic in
recent cycles. In 2008, President Obama won the district by 13 percent,
and he still enjoys strong marks, with 56 percent approving of his job
performance. Fifty-three percent of independents approve of the
president, too.

That could be good news for Lentz, given that
independent voters will likely be the margin in this district come
Election Day. Right now, independents lean toward Meehan, 37 percent to
32. But 29 percent of independents remain undecided.

Independent
voters in the 7th district tend to be white males over the age of 55.
That demographic is currently breaking for Meehan — 44 percent to 37.

Lentz has a slight edge among female voters and younger voters.

The NRCC has spent around $220,000 in this district.

The
Hill’s poll was conducted Oct. 2-7, surveyed 405 likely voters via the
telephone and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.