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Poll: Virginia voters split on governor's race between Ralph Northam, Ed Gillespie


The race to be the next governor of Virginia is virtually tied, according to a new Paste BN/Suffolk University Poll.

According to a survey of Virginia voters, 42% support Democrat Ralph Northam, while another 42% support Republican Ed Gillespie. Additionally, 2% said they supported Libertarian Clifford Hyra and another 12 % said they were undecided.

The poll surveyed 500 likely voters from Sept. 13-17 and has an error margin of 4.4 points.

Other polls ahead of the Nov. 7 election have shown similar results, including the University of Mary Washington.

Those surveyed were more likely to approve of the performance of the current governor, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, 46% vs. 35%.

Additionally, while a majority of Virginians felt that the country as a whole was on the wrong track instead of going in the right direction (59% vs. 31%), they were more evenly split about their state (44% vs. 41%).

Those surveyed were more likely to have voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, 43% vs. 39%. They were also more likely to disapprove of the job President Trump is doing, 51% vs. 41%.

But that appears more likely to be divided along ideological lines. After all, per the survey, 88% of Trump voter said they felt good about their vote, and only 5% said they regretted it.