Obama leads McCain in Virginia in three polls

BY JEFF E. SCHAPIRO
Media General News Service
Published: October 28, 2008

RICHMOND — A trio of public-opinion polls shows Virginia breaking to Democrat Barack Obama for president in the finale to Election Day.

Obama leads Republican John McCain by as many as 11 percentage points in surveys released since Friday.

The Washington Post-ABC News Poll published Monday put Obama at 52 percent; McCain at 44 percent.

The Commonwealth Poll by Virginia Commonwealth University shows Obama favored by 51 percent; McCain, 40 percent.

Public Policy Polling is giving Obama a nine-percentage point lead — 52 percent to 43 percent for McCain.

Virginia, which last backed a Democrat for president in 1964, this year is a battleground because of economic decline, President Bush’s unpopularity and demographic change.

There has been steady stream of presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

Obama appears today in Harrisonburg and Norfolk. Republican Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate, stumped Monday in Leesburg, Fredericksburg and Salem.

The three polls show the economy the top concern of voters: 51 percent in the Washington Post-ABC News Poll and 59 percent in Public Policy Polling’s Virginia survey

In the Commonwealth Poll, 61 percent say Obama will do a better job of managing the economy than McCain. Twenty-eight percent rate McCain stronger on economic matters.

The Washington Post-ABC News Poll and the Commonwealth Poll depict vote-rich and increasingly Democratic Northern Virginia as the anchor of a possible Obama victory here.

But the surveys show Hampton Roads, a region with a vast military vote presumably friendly to war-hero McCain, also leaning to Obama.

In the contest for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Republican John W. Warner, Democrat Mark R. Warner outpaces Republican Jim Gilmore in all three polls.

Washington Post-ABC News puts Warner at 61 percent; Gilmore, 31 percent.

In the Commonwealth Poll, Warner leads Gilmore 61 percent to 27 percent among likely voters.

Public Policy Polling puts Warner at 60 percent; Gilmore at 32 percent.