New poll has Deeds in the lead
A new poll by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling has Sen. Creigh Deeds assuming the lead in the Virginia Democratic gubernatorial primary race. Deeds, who has been out-raised and out-spent by presumed front-runner and former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe now leads the McLean resident by three points and former Del. Brian Moran by five.
Deeds campaign manager Joe Abbey already sent a blast email to capitalize on the news, attempting to bring in more dollars in an attempt to raise $40,000 online in four days.
“Once again, we have defied the odds and this poll confirms what we’ve been saying all along–this nomination is not for sale — and that Creigh is the one Democrat most prepared to be governor,” Abbey said in a statement. “But I can assure you, no one on our campaign is taking anything for granted. It’s a sprint to the finish on June 9 and we need everyone’s help. And this poll reflects the thousands of Virginians that are joining our grassroots campaign because they know that Creigh is the Democrat most prepared to carry on the Warner-Kaine legacy.”
Not to be outdone, the Moran campaign shared polling numbers with The Virginian-Pilot that shows the race as a dead heat. However, considering that the margin of error in the PPP poll is 4.1 percent, it still is pretty much a toss-up. But, the proof is in the trends.
Two major developments have shaped the movement in the race over the last week
and a half.The first is Deeds’ endorsement by the Washington Post. He has gone from 11% in
northern Virginia to 23%. With 30% of the primary electorate coming from that region
that alone accounts for more than half of his jump from 20 to 27%.The second is a decline in support for Terry McAuliffe in the areas where Brian Moran
has run television ads attacking him. In the last survey McAuliffe was running at 33% in
Hampton Roads and 34% in greater Richmond. He’s now declined to 25 and 23%
respectively in those markets.
So, with a week left until Election Day, the trends look good for Deeds, horrible for Moran and McAuliffe has seven days to try to turn the tide.
