Democrat Terry McAuliffe has pulled further ahead of Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia governor’s race, according to a pair of new polls.
The former Democratic National Committee chairman leads the state’s attorney general, 47 percent to 39 percent, among likely voters in the Old Dominion, according to a Washington Post-Abt SRBI poll. Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis garners 10 percent of the support. Without Sarvis, McAuliffe’s lead narrows: 49 percent back him while 44 percent support Cuccinelli.
Another poll by NBC4/NBC News/Marist finds a slightly closer race, with McAuliffe leading by 43 percent to 38 percent among likely voters. Sarvis takes 8 percent of the vote. These numbers mark a change since May, when Cuccinelli led, 45 percent to 42 percent, in this same poll.
In both surveys, female voters fuel McAuliffe’s lead. The Washington Post poll finds the Democrat leading among women by 24 percentage points. The NBC survey shows McAuliffe with an 18-point lead among women. McAuliffe has been targeting women voters with ads hitting Cuccinelli for his stance on abortion.
Likability has also become a factor in this race, with both candidates embroiled in scandal — McAuliffe with his GreenTech car company and Cuccinelli with gifts received from a wealthy donor.
The Washington Post survey finds 48 percent of registered voters view McAuliffe favorably, while 36 percent find him unfavorably. Cuccinelli’s numbers are under water: 40 percent view him favorably while 47 percent view him unfavorably. NBC finds a similar dynamic. McAuliffe remains in positive territory, but with slightly lower numbers: 41 percent view him favorably, 34 percent negatively. Cuccinelli remains in the negative: 34 percent view him favorably, 47 percent unfavorably. The May poll found the Republican with positive ratings.
The two candidates will meet face to face Wednesday in Northern Virginia, a key area of the state, in a debate sponsored by NBC4 Washington and the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce.
The RealClearPolitics polling average finds McAuliffe leading by four percentage points.
Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, told NBC News that “neither of these candidates has really passed the comfort level with Virginia voters.” With six weeks to go until Election Day, “there’s still a ways to go with where they are.”
The Post poll, conducted Sept. 19-22, surveyed 562 likely voters and had margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points. The NBC poll, conducted Sept. 17-19, surveyed 546 likely voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.
McAuliffe Leads Va. Governor"s Race in New Polls
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