A poll finds former Gov. Terry McAuliffe is leading in the race to regain his old job – but it’s a tight contest.
The poll by JMC Analytics and Polling finds McAuliffe ahead of his Republican opponent, businessman Glenn Youngkin, by 46% to 42% overall, with 12% undecided. But it’s within the margin of error and, as the polling firm notes, that’s a lot narrower than President Joe Biden’s 10-percentage-point victory over then-president Donald Trump last November.
The other Democratic candidates for statewide office hold similarly narrow leads: Democratic Del. Hala Ayala leads Republican former Del. Winsome Sears by 42% to 36%, with 22% undecided, while Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, leads Republican Del. Jason Miyares, 45% to 38%, with 17% undecided.
The generic-ballot question — whether a respondent would prefer the Democratic or Republican candidate for the House of Delegates – yielded only a one-point Democratic advantage, 44% to 43%.
The poll was taken June 9 (the day after the Democratic primaries) through June 12, and surveyed 550 people. The margin of error was given as 4.2%.
“In summary,” the poll found, “Democrats start off with leads both in statewide and/or House of Delegates races, but it’s not a secure lead, and there are noticeable signs of underperformance relative to President Biden’s 2020 race.”
The poll also found that 49% of respondents approved of the job Biden is doing, while 44% disapprove, and Gov. Ralph Northam’s job performance is viewed positively by a one-point margin, 45% to 44%.
