Read time:
The Wason Center for Civic Leadership released the results of their latest survey of the Commonwealth today, finding a mixed bag for each Party as Election Day fast approaches.
Here are the highlights of the survey:
- Virginia voters are fairly split on the direction of the Commonwealth (42% right direction, 40% wrong direction), while 50% say they approve of the job Governor Youngkin is doing.
- Virginians are pessimistic about the direction of the country (22% right direction to 65% wrong direction); dissatisfaction is partly reflected in Biden’s approval rating (39% approve to 56% disapprove).
- Democrats are slightly favored on a generic ballot with 46% of Virginia registered voters saying they will support the Democratic Party’s candidate in their district compared to 40% for the Republican Party’s candidate.
- Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act provisions related to healthcare and the environment are popular among Virginia voters (ranging from 58% to 82% support; a majority oppose increased funding to the IRS (55%).
- Among Republicans, the top issues facing the country are the economy/inflation (53%), immigration (11%) and crime (7%). For Democrats the top issues are climate change (17%), racial inequality (16%), and abortion (15%).
- Virginia registered voters oppose the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade (58% to 36%) and prefer abortion to be legal in most/all cases (67% to 27%), though a narrow majority support/strongly support an abortion ban at 15 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother (51%).
Speaking about the poll results Dr. Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, Research Director of the Wason Center, remarked, “The results of this survey certainly have something for everyone to like, and something for everyone to dislike. Republicans will be buoyed by the governor’s positive numbers and the overall political environment featuring continuing sagging poll numbers for the president and an electorate clearly displeased at the direction of the country. Democrats will point to their six-point advantage on the generic ballot and Virginians opposition to the recent Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade. But once you get past those top line findings the survey really finds an electorate that is polarized and two political parties essentially having their own conversations with voters. Some midterm elections are easily characterized. This one, as the results today make clear, is not.”
The full report is available at cnu.edu/wasoncenter/surveys.