Poll: Boyle ahead
in 170th

Campaign Bits
By Tom Waring

Democrat Brendan Boyle last week released a poll showing him with a wide lead over Republican Matt Taubenberger in the race for the 170th Legislative District seat.
The candidates are running to replace Rep. George Kenney, a Republican who is retiring after serving 12 two-year terms.
Boyle lost to Kenney in 2004 and ’06. Taubenberger works as an aide to the incumbent.
According to the survey by Municipoll Research, Boyle leads Taubenberger by a margin of 54 percent to 30 percent. The remaining 16 percent are undecided.
The telephone poll was conducted among 602 likely voters on May 20-21.
The question was, "The candidates for state representative are Democrat Brendan Boyle and Republican Matt Taubenberger. If the election was today, who would you vote for? If Brendan Boyle, press 1. If Matt Taubenberger, press 2. If you’re undecided, press 3."
Dave Craig, a partner with Municipoll Research, attributed Boyle’s lead to his Democratic Party identity and name recognition from past campaigns.
Boyle leads among Democrats 69 percent to 18 percent. Taubenberger has a smaller lead among Republicans, 55 percent to 30 percent.
The survey shows that voters in the district are ready to split their ticket. In a poll of the likely presidential candidates, Republican John McCain beats Democrat Barack Obama by 16 percentage points.
"Despite the fact that McCain runs better than Obama in the district, it appears to have little effect on the state legislative race, as Boyle holds a commanding 24-point lead over Taubenberger," Craig said.
Democrats represented 60 percent of those polled. Republicans made up 33 percent. The rest were independents or members of other parties. Sixty percent of respondents were women.
Boyle led among men, women and all age groups.
McCain topped Obama, 52 percent to 36 percent, with 12 percent undecided. The Arizona senator led among men, women, Republicans, individuals not registered with either of the two major parties and all age groups.
If Hillary Clinton were the Democratic presidential nominee, she would beat McCain in the district by a margin of 57 percent to 34 percent.

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Meanwhile, Boyle has announced an energy proposal, calling on state government to make 50 percent of the vehicles in its fleet hybrids within five years.
Boyle wants half of the state’s 16,225 vehicles to be hybrids by 2013.
"Switching the state fleet to fuel-efficient vehicles will save taxpayers money, while also improving our environment," he said. "Reducing our demand for oil will reduce gas prices, so it is in our economic interest to become more fuel efficient."
In 2006, Boyle was endorsed by the Sierra Club and expects the environmental advocacy group to back him again.

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Mike Livingston, the Republican candidate in the 2nd Congressional District, emphasized his support for Israel at a recent celebration of the nation’s 60th birthday.
"Only a strong, democratic Israel, with full and enthusiastic support from America, will continue to survive and prosper in a dangerous and often indifferent world," he said.
Livingston, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Chaka Fattah, said he joins President George W. Bush and Republican presidential candidate John McCain in rejecting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s support for a meeting with Iran and other adversaries with no preconditions.
"His naiveté regarding Iranian intentions and capabilities leaves serious doubt as to the policy he would follow if elected," he said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com