Spanberger still leads Earle-Sears, according to latest VCU poll

RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) -- Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Government and Public Affairs released data Tuesday showing that Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger has a 7% lead over Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia's Gubernatorial race, according to its latest poll.

Spanberger's lead over Earle-Sears is down from VCU's September Commonwealth poll, which showed Spanberger leading with a 9-point margin. The Democratic candidate also possesses an 11% margin -- 35% to 24% -- over independent voters, with 20% undecided.

“Our school’s poll results reflect little change in the race for governor, though the lead for Democrats has narrowed (Spanberger 49% to Earle-Sears 42%),” said L. Douglas Wilder, the 66th governor of Virginia, for whom the school is named.

Sen. Ghazala Hashmi holds a one-point lead over John Reid, while Attorney General Jason Miyares leads former Del. Jay Jones 45% to 42% in the attorney general’s contest.

These numbers represent a nine-point swing in the attorney general's race from September's poll, directly following Jones's text of hypothetically shooting former House Speaker Todd Gilbert.

The attorney general’s race shows Jason Miyares moving into the lead over Jay Jones (Miyares 45% to Jones 42%)." Wilder explained. "These results highlight that, with several weeks to go before the election, voters are paying attention to what the candidates are doing — and what they have done — as a precursor to what they will do if elected.”

This latest poll ran between Oct. 6 and Oct. 14, meaning that the Virginia Governor's Debate happened during this stretch of polling.

In the October poll, voters also claimed that the rising cost of living would be the biggest influence on their vote during the upcoming election.