Is President Obama a Liability for Senator Bob Casey?

President Obama—who is polling ahead in Pennsylvania—has had a close political relationship with Senator Bob Casey. Tom Smith’s campaign against Bob Casey is using the Senator’s ties to President Obama as ammunition in attack ads. Will it work? The folks at Politics PA suggest:

So from a practical standpoint, it’s tough to imagine Casey successfully finding distance from the President. When asked, he often notes his strong stance against illicit Chinese trade practices. And he voted for cloture on the controversial Blunt amendment, supported by Catholic institutions during the contraception debate. But most of his voting record lines up with Obama.

They examine Casey’s approval amongst GOP voters in Pennsylvania.

But a closer look at the numbers shows some reasons Smith is still talking about Obama well after the primary. First is rallying the base. That Quinnipiac poll showed that 38 percent of GOPers approve of Casey’s job performance, 29 percent say he deserves re-election, and 19 percent plan to vote for him. Smith needs to bring those Republicans into his camp.

Furthermore, in several regions where Casey is strong (southwest, northwest and central PA), President Obama is weak. So the Casey-Obama angle has its merits.