The Shadow
SALEM — Democrat Joe Biden holds a 14-point lead over President Donald Trump in Virginia, according to a Roanoke College poll.
The polling of 566 likely voters between Aug. 9 and Aug. 22 gives Biden a 53-39 percent lead over the president with just more than nine weeks remaining before the Nov. 3 election.
The poll also indicates that few voters say they are undecided over who they are going to vote for in the presidential election. The 53-39 percent Biden lead is not significantly different from his 51-39 percent lead in the May Roanoke College Poll
More than 90 percent of Democrats polled said they are going to vote for the former vice president. Conversely, just under 90 percent of Republicans say they are going to vote for Trump. Only 2 percent of Democrats said they would cross over to vote for Trump, while 7 percent of Republicans said they plan to vote for Biden.
Moreover, Biden improved his favorability rating by 15 percentage points since the last Roanoke College poll was conducted in May. His unfavorable rating in the state held steady.
“Biden maintains his lead over Trump, but his favorable/unfavorable splits improved from May,” said Dr. Harry Wilson, director of the Roanoke College Poll.
“Trump’s numbers appear to be impervious to events. For Biden to improve his favorable rating by 15 percent while keeping unfavorable steady is an achievement in a political campaign. He may have benefited from the Democratic Convention, and the ‘basement’ campaign may be working. Trump’s hopes in Virginia rest on his ability to drive turnout in his base,” Wilson said.
Fifty-one percent of the people polled gave Biden a positive favorability rating, while 37 percent viewed Trump in a favorable light. Fifty-five percent gave Trump an unfavorable rating. Thirty-eight percent viewed Biden as unfavorable.
Senate Race
The poll also indicates that Democrat U.S. Sen. Mark Warner as the odds on favorite to win a third term in November.
The poll gives Warner a 55-34 percent lead over Republican Daniel Gade.
“Senator Warner has a comfortable margin at this point with a healthy lead, a positive favorable rating, and an opponent in Daniel Gade, who is largely unknown to most voters. Gade’s hope lies in his low unfavorable rating and the opportunity to define himself if he can reach the voters,” Wilson said.
Warner’s favorable rating is 51 percent, up 14 points since May, while his unfavorable rating rose from 21 percent in May to 26 percent in August.
Gade is largely unknown with two-thirds of likely voters (67 percent) not knowing enough to have an opinion of him. His favorable rating of 20 percent doubles his unfavorable rating of 10 percent.
The Roanoke College Poll has a margin of error of 4.1 percent.
