Most voters describe @JohnFetterman as saying what he really believes, more so than they describe @DrOz doing so. A big majority describe Oz as just saying what he thinks voters want to hear.
MORE BAD NEWS FOR OZ: 2/3rds don't think he's lived in PA long enough to understand its issues. Oz trails Fetterman on having "the right experience," and on personal favorability ratings. Most Oz supporters say they back him mainly to oppose Fetterman, not because they like Oz.
AND WHAT ABOUT FETTERMAN’S HEALTH? Most voters think @JohnFetterman is well enough to serve despite his stroke. (Even nearly four in 10 Republicans say he is.)
ANY BUYER’S REMORSE? In PA, Democrats express more satisfaction about nominating @JohnFetterman than Republicans do about nominating @DrOz. (Also true for candidates in governor's race.) Non-MAGA Republicans are more disappointed about Oz as their nominee than MAGA Republicans.
ENTHUSIASM GAP? @JohnFetterman's backers are more enthusiastic about him than @DrOz's supporters are about the doctor.
ON THE ISSUES… It’s the economy and inflation first. 8 in 10 PA voters say higher prices have been difficult or a hardship. Lower-income folks especially hard-hit. @drOz does better among those independents who describe price increases as difficulty or hardship.
ON ABORTION… It’s helping @JohnFetterman. For his base, it’s more important than the economy. He leads among all who say it's very important, both men and women. Most D’s say overturning Roe v. Wade makes them more likely to vote this year. (It makes no difference to most R’s.)
ALL POLITICS IS… NATIONAL?! By 3 to 1, Pennsylvanians tell @cbsnewspoll that national issues and the direction of the country are more important to them than local issues when it comes to the Senate election. Fitting, perhaps, as all eyes of the nation are on the state.
SO THEN HOW DO TRUMP AND BIDEN FACTOR IN? Pennsylvania D’s say their vote for Senate is as much to oppose Trump as it is to support @POTUS Biden. Most Pennsylvania R’s are motivated to oppose Biden. But a sizable 4 in 10 Republicans say their Senate vote is also to support Trump.
MOST VOTERS TO CANDIDATES: DENY DENIALISM: Only a third of Pennsylvania Republicans — and just under a fifth of its voters — want elected officials in the state to claim @POTUS Biden did not win the 2020 election.
THE PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR’S RACE: Of the 4 major-party candidates running for Senate & governor, @JoshShapiroPA has highest personally favorable ratings of all. That, combined with strong support from women, has him up 11 points on Republican @SenMastriano.
Shapiro has a wide lead among voters who say abortion should be legal in Pennsylvania. And there may be some "buyer's remorse" lingering from the primaries about Mastriano from Republicans, as 4 in 10 wish their party had nominated a different candidate.
LOCAL ISSUES OF CONCERN: Crime, gun violence, and drug and opioid addiction seen by most as problems in their area of PA. Republicans add in that illegal immigration is a problem in their area.
THERE IS A DEAL: @POTUS Biden announces a deal between railroad companies and unions to avoid a national strike: “These rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their health care costs: all hard-earned.”
MORE: The deal follows 20 consecutive hours of face-to-face negotiations to lock up a deal, according to federal officials.
We are expecting to learn more about how the deal came together later today… but Labor @SecMartyWalsh played a big role in sealing the final tentative agreement:
Aboard AF1 to Detroit, @PressSec pressed by reporters on why @POTUS and @FLOTUS flew back to Delaware Tues. for primary day and didn't vote early in person or absentee.
@PressSec@POTUS@FLOTUS In response, @PressSec said the president has maintained a busy schedule and "It worked out best for him to vote on Tuesday. He thought it best for him" to vote in person.
(But the president was home in Delaware Saturday and had nothing on his schedule besides afternoon mass.)
@PressSec@POTUS@FLOTUS On impending #Railroadstrike, @PressSec says @POTUS has been in touch with the railroads and unions "multiple times" and that the administration has been engaged in the talks since the Spring.
NEW FROM @CBSNewsPoll: New estimate shows House Republicans at 226 seats today, down from 230 estimated in July. 218 seats needed to win control.
While Republicans continue to lead with people who prioritize the economy, at least 3 things tempering their overall advantage…
1. abortion rights. 2. gas prices. 3. extent to which election is about anything other than a still-shaky economy, such as Trump and GOP nominees.
WHAT ABOUT THE MAR-A-LAGO DOCUMENT SEARCH? File it under “About Donald Trump.” FBI search hasn’t directly changed many votes because of sharp partisan splits over it, but it could be part of a larger issue holding back Republicans – as Donald Trump stays on voters’ minds.
What’s on the ballot this year? @POTUS Biden, speaking at a @DNC rally in Maryland clearly designed to stoke the base, lists in this order:
Abortion rights (he said “the right to choose”)… future of social security… climate change… voting rights.
He also mentioned sign control, noting passage of the bipartisan financial control/mental health bill, but insists he will work to ban assault weapons.
BIDEN: “This November, we have to ask every candidate: are you for or against banning assault weapons? And if you’re not, we’re not going to vote for you.”
NEW FROM @CBSNewsPoll: Most Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning of Roe v. Wade, including two-thirds of women who disapprove.
By more than a 20-point margin, Americans call it a step backward rather than forward for America.
Those who approve — and in particular the three-fourths of conservatives who do — say they feel both hopeful and happy, according to @CBSNewsPoll.
TODAY IN GERMANY: @POTUS Biden meets with German @Bundeskanzler ahead of the formal launch of the #G7. Aides say the two leaders are set to discuss Russia and Ukraine and “continued close coordination on the political and diplomatic front.”
Also on the Biden-Scholtz agenda: security assistance, financial support, sanctions on Russia, transatlantic security issues, Climate change, energy, senior administration officials say.
Later, aides say the opening session of the #G7 is set to focus on the global economy and discussing “core problems that are top of mind” like energy security, food insecurity due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.