Keeping In Touch with politics and other issues in Central Virginia .....The Virginia 22nd Senate District and The 6th Congressional District......Vote Democratic for a Better Future....Protect Your Benefits

Democratic Committee Meeting

Friday, September 18, 2009

Governor Race is a Toss Up




Dead Heat




The race to become the next governor of Virginia has gotten a lot closer. Right now, it’s effectively a toss-up between Republican Robert F. McDonnell and Democrat R. Creigh Deeds.




The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Virginia voters finds McDonnell attracting 48% of the vote while Deeds picks up 46%. Two weeks ago, McDonnell held a nine-point advantage. In August, McDonnell was up by eight.




All of those figures include “leaners.” Leaners are those who initially indicate no preference for either of the candidates but answer a follow-up question and say they are leaning towards a particular candidate.


The survey two weeks ago was conducted shortly after The Washington Post ran news stories about a thesis paper written by McDonnell in 1989. The thesis reflected very conservative views on the role of women in society and other topics. Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters now say the writings are at least somewhat important in terms of how they will vote. That’s up from 36% in the previous survey. The number of unaffiliated voters who consider the writings important is up to 47%.



The Washington Post endorsement of Deeds played a key role in helping him win the Democratic nomination earlier this year.




McDonnell’s support remains a bit more solid than Deeds’. Eighty-one percent (81%) of those who plan to vote for the Republican candidate are certain they will not change their mind. Seventy-four percent (74%) of Deeds supporters say the same. Among those who are certain, McDonnell leads by seven percentage points.



The tightening of the race over the past two weeks comes from a shift in the views of voters who might change their minds. Currently, those voters are leaning in Deeds' direction. Fifty-four percent (54%) of Virginia voters have a favorable view of McDonnell while 50% say the same about Deeds.


McDonnell is down a point over the past two weeks while Deeds is up two.




Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Blog Archive