With one week until the polls open in Virginia, Democrat Terry McAuliffe has a double-digit lead for governor over Republican Ken Cuccinelli II a new Washington Post poll shows.
According to the poll, McAuliffe is leading Cuccinelli 51% to 39% and a Real Clear Politics poll average shows similar results with McAuliffe leading by 10 points. Last month’s Washington Post poll had McAuliffe lead by only 8%. While McAuliffe holds the lead the fear of low voter turnout could help Cuccinelli, which why both sides have asked big ticket names to come and stump for them. “The Ken Cuccinelli (R) and Terry McAuliffe (D) campaigns for governor have brought in the big-name, out-of-staters in an attempt to rev up the base, because they fear low turnout,” First Read points out.
While the Clintons’ support for McAuliffe might help sway Virgina’s opinion of McAuliffe, the Washington Post poll also reveals that people are voting based on who they would rather not see in office. The poll revealed that 64% are voting for McAuliffe because they don’t want to see Cuccinelli in the governor’s seat while only 44% are voting against McAuliffe. The Cuccinelli campaign is basically handing the election to the Democrats (whether they deserve it or not) and putting a national spotlight on the swing state’s governor’s race. “This is a battle for the Republican party sole right now,” MSNBC’s Ronan Farrow said on Tuesday’s show. “There is a contingent that called Romney a Republican in name only, and feels they need to push more and more extreme. And then there is also a swath of America that is looking for moderation in the Republican party.”
Abby Borovitz