In Virginia, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden appears to be cruising towards a victory in the general election. In a poll released this week by Roanoke College, Biden nabbed the support of 51 percent of voters, while Trump only had the support of a meager 39 percent of voters, giving the Democrats a 12 percent lead in the presidential race in the state. If that kind of huge Democratic lead carries over into other states in Virginia’s vicinity, Democrats could be well on their way to a victory in November.
Although Trump’s failed handling of the Coronavirus pandemic may have weighed somewhat on the dismal numbers in this latest poll, the situation does not appear to have completely changed the overall calculus of the race. In other words, Republicans still appear to be sticking by the president, although overall, a full 49 percent of respondents in the new Virginia polling indicated that they have an unfavorable view of the president. (Just 39 percent of respondents said that they view Biden unfavorably.)
Roanoke College Poll Director Harry Wilson observed:
‘Events appear to be unrelated to how he is viewed in the Commonwealth. As is often true in the current political climate, the election will be decided by who turns out, and Democrats have outnumbered Republicans for the past several federal and statewide elections in Virginia.’
Overall, Trump and Biden each garnered a favorable view from 36 percent of Virginia respondents. As for job approval as opposed to favorability, Trump isn’t doing great — a full 54 percent of respondents indicated that they disapprove of the job that he is doing in the White House. Only 36 percent of respondents said that they approved of Trump’s job performance.
These numbers reflect broader national trends — overall, Biden leads Trump by an average of 4.9 percent in national polling, according to RealClearPolitics. Biden also has leads in Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, all of which Trump won in 2016.
