Delegate Elizabeth Guzman (D-Prince William) withdrew from the race for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor after campaign finance reports revealed she was trailing financially, sixth out of seven among the Democratic candidates. But a new Christopher Newport University/Wason Center Poll released Thursday shows that Guzman was polling in second place for the nomination even as she dropped out of the race to focus on her reelection as delegate. The poll places Delegate Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke) at the head of the race for Lieutenant Governor with 12 percent, Guzman came in second with 4 percent, and 64 percent of voters were undecided. None of the other candidates scored more than two percent.
The poll also showed Terry McAuliffe leading the gubernatorial pack with 47 percent support. The poll was conducted from April 11-20 through landlines and cell phones of likely Democratic primary voters, with a 3.9 percent margin of error.
As with the Public Policy Polling results released last week, the Wason Center poll credits McAuliffe’s lead to high name recognition combined with good favorable/unfavorable ratings. 28 percent of voters were undecided. Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax also has high name recognition, but is hurt by a 27 percent to 26 percent favorable/unfavorable rating, and earned eight percent support. Behind him are Senator Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) with six percent support, Jennifer Carrol Foy at five percent, and Delegate Lee Carter (D-Manassas) at one percent.
“Name recognition is a big head start, but it’s better when voters’ impression is mostly favorable,” Wason Center Academic Director Dr. Quentin Kidd said.
Attorney General Mark Herring leads his race for reelection with 42 percent support; his opponent Delegate Jay Jones (D-Norfok) has 18 percent, but 34 percent of voters are undecided.
“Notably, Jones’s support has grown while Herring’s support has not changed since our February poll (42 percent Herring to 3 percent Jones, 50 percent undecided),” the Wason Center press release states.
Additionally, 83 percent of the people surveyed said they were enthusiastic to vote in the primary.
Early-in person voting in the primary begins Friday, April 23.
Wason Center Research Director Dr. Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo said, “This gubernatorial field is the most diverse in the history of the Commonwealth, and that has drawn a great deal of interest in the race.”
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Terry Mcauliffe” by Joint Base Langley-Eustis.
With almost no exceptions, for more than two hundred years Virginia has refused to allow its former Governors to serve second terms. I think that this mostly informal, unstated policy has served the Commonwealth well. One only has to look at those many States (e.g., New York, Ohio, Illinois, etc.) which have decided to do otherwise to realize the value of this approach to State government.
Terry McAuliffe (who is not a native Virginian) obviously is of a different opinion—McAuliffe is now acting in his own best interest and, I think, to the detriment of the interests of the people of Virginia by seeking a second term as Governor. What is next? A removal of the State constitutional prohibition which prevents a Governor from immediately succeeding himself? Will Virginia ultimately become like New York where a Governor has sometimes served as many as four consecutive terms (and in theory could serve even more than that)?
For those who fear that Virginia could become as corrupt a political cesspool as many of the other States of our Union have become (and yes, Virginia, it can become worse in the Commonwealth, much, much worse), the time to end this threat to your rights and liberties is now—this year—2021.
Reject Terry McAuliffe for another term as Virginia’s Governor. Send a message not only to McAuliffe himself, but to those others like McAuliffe that will follow him, who will seek the Commonwealth’s highest office not to serve in it but to profit from it. You may have only this ONE last opportunity—this year—to protect yourself and your posterity from this great evil.