Democrat Abigail Spanberger has the upper hand against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in polling for Virginia’s gubernatorial race.
At the same time, Attorney General Jason Miyares is locked in a tight reelection fight with embattled Democrat Jay Jones, as voters prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday.
The final Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey of the races in Virginia showed Ms. Spanberger, a former member of Congress and ex-CIA officer, with a 55%-44% lead over Ms. Earle-Sears among likely voters.
“Heading into Election Day, Democrat Abigail Spanberger has solidified her status as the front-runner in the race for Governor,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. “A sign of Spanberger’s growing strength is among men, a group that was evenly divided last month but now breaks for her 52% to 46%. These voters report backing Governor Youngkin by about nine points in 2021.”
The winner of the race will make history as the first female governor of Virginia.
In the attorney general’s race, Mr. Jones holds a 49% to 47% lead over Mr. Miyares, with 4% of voters still on the fence.
“Unlike the governor’s race, early and likely voters split in opposite directions: those who have already voted favor Jones 56% to 44%, while those yet to vote back Miyares 50% to 43%,” Mr. Kimball said. “Men break for Miyares 50% to 46%, while women side with Jones 51% to 45%.
The survey also found that President Trump’s approval rating is underwater in the state, with 54% of likely voters disapproving of the job he is doing in office.
Ms. Spanberger campaigned over the weekend with former President Barack Obama.
Correction: Due to an editing error, a previous version of this story misspelled Abigail Spanberger’s last name in the headline.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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