New poll finds Spanberger has 12-point lead over Earle-Sears in VA governor’s race

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- New polling from Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Civic Leadership shows Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger holds a 12-point lead (52%-40%) over her Republican opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears, just a day before early voting begins in Virginia. 

“Spanberger, her lead, is mostly because she’s doing very well among independents. 55% of independents indicate they’re gonna vote for Spanberger, compared to 32% for Earle-Sears,”  said Dr. Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, Research Director at the Wason Center. 

In the race for lieutenant governor, it’s Democrat Ghazala Hashmi who holds an 11-point lead (48%-37%) over Republican John Reid. 

However, the race for attorney general is closer with Democrat Jay Jones leading Republican Jason Miyares 48%-41%. 

“I would say this is somewhat expected given Miyares is the current incumbent and incumbency does tend to give some benefits to candidates due to name recognition and being able to run on an existing record,” Bromley-Trujillo said.

The poll also found that President Donald Trump’s approval rating in Virginia is 39%. 

“Over time, Virginia has very consistently gone against the party in power in the White House. That’s especially true when the President's popularity is really low, which it is right now. So it has an impact on all of the races from governor on down to the House of Delegates and even local races,” Bromley-Trujillo said.

According to the poll, inflation and threats to democracy are the top two issues for Virginia voters.