Democrat Abigail Spanberger’s lead over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears has narrowed as the two gubernatorial candidates prepare for the post-Labor Day sprint to the November election.
A Roanoke College poll released Tuesday found Ms. Spanberger, a former member of Congress and ex-intelligence officer, has a 7-point lead over Ms. Earle-Sears, the state’s lieutenant governor, who previously served as an electrician in the U.S. Marines. The rest of the likely Virginia voters were undecided or planned to cast their ballot for someone else.
The governor’s contest has become closer since late May, when the same poll showed Ms. Spanberger 17 points ahead of Ms. Earle-Sears.
“The race for governor appears to be tightening, but Spanberger still leads,” said Harry Wilson, interim director for Roanoke College’s Institute for Policy and Opinion Research. “Many Republicans seem to have come home to Earle-Sears since the May poll, but Spanberger’s voters are slightly more enthusiastic about voting and more certain of their vote.”
The gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey are the biggest prizes on the board in the off-year fall election.
The contests are heralded as bellwethers for the national political climate and a test of the sitting president’s popularity ahead of the midterm elections.
Ms. Spanberger benefits from having a positive image, with 44% of Virginians giving her favorable marks versus 38% not liking her. Ms. Earle-Sears is underwater, with 36% of Virginians viewing her favorably and 43% giving a thumbs-down.
The chief issue for Virginians, by a wide margin, is inflation and the cost of living, with 54% saying that is top of mind.
The survey also suggests that President Trump could make life a bit harder for Ms. Earle-Sears, who has had a tumultuous relationship with the commander in chief.
Mr. Trump’s favorable rating has ticked up 8 points since May, but still, close to six in 10 Virginians don’t like him.
A majority of respondents said Mr. Trump has done a worse job than they expected since taking office. More than half of those surveyed disapproved of the way Mr. Trump has handled the economy, foreign policy and immigration.
“With regard to President Trump, respondents appear to steadfastly like or dislike him, regardless of the issue,” Mr. Wilson said. “They differentiate, however, between the parties when it comes to handling specific issues.
“As has been true for many years now, Republicans and Democrats appear to be living on different planets in terms of how they view politics, elected officials and candidates.”
The survey of 602 likely voters had a margin of error of 4.39%.
