Latest polling shows Spanberger leading Earle-Sears, LG/AG races within the margin of error

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- New polling shows the race for governor is tightening.

The latest polling from Roanoke College found that if Virginia’s gubernatorial election were held today, 46% of Virginians would vote for Democrat Abigail Spanberger, while 39% would vote for Republican Winsome Earle-Sears.

“The numbers seem about where one might expect. This is a significant headwind for Republicans this election cycle,” University of Mary Washington Professor Stephen Farnsworth told 8News. 

Farnsworth said, although Spanberger’s seven-point lead is considerably smaller than her 17-point lead in May, it’s actually Republicans who should be worried.

“For Republicans, this is a sign that the team really needs to get its act together. That is a warning sign. When you think about early voting in Virginia starting in about a month, you can see that the runway for the Republican campaign statewide to get airborne is really, really short,” Farnsworth explained. 

In the race for lieutenant governor, Democrat Ghazala Hashmi enjoys a three-point (38%-35%) lead over Republican John Reid. 

Meanwhile, Democrat Jay Jones also holds a three-point lead (41%-38%)  over incumbent Republican Jason Miyares in the race for attorney general. 

Farnsworth saying part of the reason the lieutenant governor and attorney general’s races are closer than the governor’s race is because more voters are undecided about down-ballot races. 

“The candidates for lieutenant governor or attorney general aren’t really all that well known in comparison, and so that’s a big challenge, of course, for the candidates running on the ticket with the gubernatorial candidates,” Farnsworth told 8News.

Early voting for this fall’s elections begins on September 19.