The first poll of Pennsylvania voters since Mitt Romney made Paul Ryan his running mate found the pick did nothing to move the race.
President Barack Obama maintains his lead in the lean-blue state with 49 percent support to Romney's 40 percent among likely voters, according to a The Morning Call/Muhlenberg College poll conducted this week.
In other recent statewide polls Obama's lead has ranged from 12 points to six points, but he's consistently been ahead.
Notably, Obama maintains his lead despite weak job approval -- 47 percent of voters disapprove of the job he's doing in the White House, compared to 43 percent who do.
"Nine points is a very good place to be going in to the conventions," said Chris Borick, Muhlenberg College pollster. "And this comes despite very mediocre reviews of his performance among likely voters and personal favorability numbers that aren't as strong as they used to be. Pennsylvania voters are by no means thrilled with what they see from President Obama, but they are unimpressed with the alternative, which is Mitt Romney."
"Romney's favorability is fairly dismal," Borick added.
Nearly half of likely voters surveyed, 48 percent, have an overall favorable impression of Obama, while just 37 percent do of Romney. And nearly half, 49 percent, have a negative view of the former Massachusetts governor.
Meanwhile, Romney's running mate doesn't fare much better. Around one-third of likely voters have a favorable view and one-third an unfavorable opinion of Ryan. A quarter of those surveyed are neutral or unsure about the GOP vice president pick.
Ryan is most well known for authoring a plan as chairman of the House Budget committee to revamp Medicare so that future retirees could choose to receive a stipend from the government to purchase private insurance over traditional Medicare. He and Republicans say it's the best way to ensure Medicare remains solvent. Democrats have vilified the plan as the end of Medicare.
When asked who they trust more to handle Medicare, the popular entitlement program for the elderly and disabled, likely voters in Pennsylvania overwhelmingly said Obama over Romney, 47 percent to 34 percent.
The poll of 422 likely voters was conducted Monday Aug. 20 through Wednesday Aug. 22 and has a margin of error of +/- 5 percent.
