The race for the Lehigh Valley’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives is virtually tied, according to a new poll. WDIY’s Sarit Laschinsky has more.
The results of the latest Muhlenberg College/Morning Call survey released Wednesday show that there is an almost even divide in voters’ preference for who will represent Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.
Results show 47% of voters prefer incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Susan Wild, while 46% back Republican challenger Lisa Scheller, a “statistical dead heat” according to the poll.
The two most important issues on the minds of 7th District voters for the upcoming election were inflation, which 34% of voters identified as a top issue, and abortion, selected by 28% of voters.
Among voters who identified inflation as their top issue, Scheller leads Wild 76% to 18%, while for voters who chose abortion as their priority, Wild holds an 87% to 11% lead over Scheller.
The next biggest issues – healthcare and immigration – were chosen by only 7% of voters, while smaller percentages identified jobs, crime, education and the environment as their priorities.
Within the district, the poll found a significant gender divide, with men preferring Scheller by a 55% to 37% margin, while women backed Wild by a margin of 58% to 37%.
Wild also leads 54% to 38% among voters with a bachelor’s degree, while Scheller leads among voters without a degree 54% to 41%.
Wild, who is seeking her third term for the seat, narrowly defeated Scheller in 2020 by around 14,000 votes.
The full list of survey results can be found on Muhlenberg's website.
(Original air-date: 10/20/22)
