Poll: Toomey approval up after push on gun laws

WASHINGTON - Less than a month after his failed push to expand background check for gun purchases, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey's approval rating was up by nine percentage points in a Franklin and Marshall College released Wednesday.

The Pennsylvania Republican saw his approval rating jump to 35 percent - the highest this poll has ever rated him. His disapproval rating nudged up to 22 percent, from 20 percent a month earlier.

Toomey also scored a new high in a Quinnipiac Poll released late last month. That survey gave him a more modest four-point bump, to 48 percent approval.

Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who moved even farther on guns - backing bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, as well as expanded background checks - and who also recently endorsed same-sex marriage also saw his approval rating jump in the F&M survey. The poll found that 43 percent of voters approved of the job he is doing, a 3 point improvement, against 22 percent who disapprove - down 2 points from a month earlier.

The share who strongly approve of Casey's work was up four points, to 17 percent.

The poll found that 57 percent of Pennsylvania voters favor more laws regulating gun ownership - including 43 percent who strongly favor such measures - against 41 percent who oppose new laws, including 30 percent who strongly oppose them.

The poll of 526 registered Pennsylvania voters was conducted from April 30 to May 5 and has a margin of error of 4.3 percentage points.