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A new poll conducted by the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University and the Washington Post shows the effects of a texting scandal on the three statewide races in Virginia that will be decided on November 4.
Jay Jones’s two-year-old texts reflecting violent imagery toward political opponents and their families cost the Democrat five percentage points in his race for attorney general since a September Washington Post-Schar School survey. The latest poll, released Thursday, October 23, shows his campaign is in a dead heat with Republican incumbent Jason Miyares. In fact, more voters shifted to “neither” in the latest poll.
The poll is at this Washington Post web page.
“People deciding not to vote, when they would have voted for Jones otherwise, could be the difference between winning and losing for him,” Schar School dean Mark J. Rozell told the Post.
Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger’s campaign for governor against Republican Winsome Earle-Sears remains a double-digit lead and appears to be untarnished by the scandal.
In the race for lieutenant governor, Democratic state senator Ghazala F. Hashmi appears to have gained ground and now leads Republican John Reid by seven percentage points, 51 percent to 44 percent. A month ago, Hashmi’s four-point lead—49 percent to 45 percent—wasn’t statistically significant.
The Washington Post has partnered with the Schar School since 2016 to conduct a series of public opinion polls to illuminate voter sentiment on a broad range of political and public policy issues. The partnership combines the expertise of Schar School faculty with the Washington Post’s formidable national reach. Read previous polls at this Schar School web page.