Spanberger leads Virginia governor's race by 12 points: Survey

Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) holds a double-digit lead over Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) in the state’s gubernatorial race, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

The survey, conducted by the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, showed Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 49 percent to 37 percent among registered voters in the state. The latest results mark an uptick in support for Spanberger from the last poll, which showed her leading Earle-Sears 45 percent to 35 percent. 

The poll's results out of the lieutenant gubernatorial race and the attorney general race mirrored the governor's race results. In the lieutenant governor’s race, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) leads conservative talk show host John Reid 46 percent to 36 percent, while in the attorney general race, former state Del. Jay Jones (D) Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares 47 percent to 38 percent. 

However, roughly half of independents in all three matchups said they were undecided. 

Most polling out of the governor’s race so far shows Spanberger with an advantage over Earle-Sears. A Roanoke College survey released in May showed Spanberger with a wide 43 percent to 26 percent lead, with 28 percent of voters saying they were undecided. However, another May poll released by the business group Virginia FREE showed Spanberger leading by 4 percentage points.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as lean Democratic. 

Earle-Sears has sought to tout her work during Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) administration on the campaign trail. While the governor has enjoyed high approval ratings throughout his nearly four years in office, Wednesday's VCU poll showed a slight decline in support. 

Forty-nine percent of respondents polled said they approved of Youngkin’s job as governor, down from 51 percent in December. Thirty-nine percent said they disapproved of Youngkin’s job, up 1 point from December. 

The Virginia Commonwealth University poll was conducted June 19 through July 3 among 809 Virginia adults. The margin of error is 4.16 percentage points.