Gerlach unknown to most Pa. Republicans
Another noteworthy finding from that Franklin and Marshall poll referenced earlier: Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.) is virtually unknown to Republican voters in Pennsylvania.
Gerlach is seriously considering a Senate campaign against Toomey, but has also formed an exploratory committee for the governor’s race. But if he runs statewide, he'll have his work cut out making his case to Pennsylvania Republicans.
The poll shows over three-quarters of Pennsylvania Republicans (77 percent) never heard of Gerlach, though he is viewed favorably by those who do.
Meanwhile, Toomey sports an outstanding net favorability rating with GOP voters, with 29 percent viewing him favorably, and only five percent viewing him unfavorably. And Toomey’s favorables (and name ID) among Republicans are only bound to go up, as conservatives view him as the candidate who knocked out Specter.
That means if Gerlach runs for the Senate againt Toomey, he won’t automatically be able to rely on his political success in a Democratic-trending district to prevail in a Republican Senate primary. He’ll have to introduce himself to the entire GOP electorate, whose verdict on him is still out.