Now that Kamala Harris seems poised to get the Democratic nomination for president, how does she poll in Virginia?
Before Joe Biden dropped out of the race for president, several polls took a look at how Kamala Harris would do against Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup in Virginia. J. Miles Coleman at the UVA Center for Politics says the polls present a mixed picture.
"The New York Times released a poll of Virginia recently, and Biden was up three. Harris was up by closer to five points, so a little better," explains Coleman. "But in some of the other Virginia polls recently, the Emerson one and the VCU one, she was about exactly the same as Biden."
Mark Rozell is dean of the Schar School at George Mason University, and he says any Democrat running against Trump would probably fare as well as Biden, if not marginally better. And, he says, that could win the election.
"Marginally better could be the difference in this election cycle. Since we’re looking at a handful or more states that are competitive in the Electoral College, and some suggest that Virginia may be in that column right now," says Rozell. "A marginal difference in closely contested states could be the difference."
Senator Tim Kaine told reporters Monday morning that Virginia will be a battleground state in 2024. And he added that's good for Virginia because it'll highlight issues and candidates that matter to voters here in the Commonwealth.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
