by Christen Smith
New survey results suggest many residents don’t know much about elected leaders in Pennsylvania.
Aside from Gov. Josh Shapiro, most respondents said they either “never heard of” or were “unsure” about the performance of certain administration officials and legislative leaders — including Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (pictured above, middle), Democratic House Speaker Joanna McClinton (pictured above, left), and Republican Senate President Kim Ward (pictured above, right).
The survey questioned roughly 800 registered voters between June 16 and June 19. The partisan split of respondents was 39 percent Democrats, 38 percent Republicans, and 23 percent Independent, with a 3.46 percent margin of error.
More than half of the residents polled either didn’t know or weren’t certain of their approval for the leaders. Other cabinet members – including Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Auditor General Timothy DeFoor, and Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry – also flew under the radar of most respondents.
The three branches of government fared better overall. Shapiro’s favorability rating came in at 61 percent, with just 12 percent indicating they’d either never heard of him or were uncertain about him.
The state House earned a 40 percent favorable rating compared to a 34 percent unfavorable, while 26 percent had neither heard of the chamber or were uncertain about it. Senate ratings came in at 41 percent, 35 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
Some 44 percent of respondents approved of the state Supreme Court, while 29 percent disagreed. Another 30 percent had either never heard of or were uncertain about the bench.
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Christen Smith is a regional editor at The Center Square.
