Vice President Kamala Harris (D) and former President Donald Trump (R) are locked in a tight presidential contest in Virginia, according to a new statewide survey from the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington.
Harris has the support of 47 percent of 756 Virginia likely voters, as compared to 46 percent favoring Trump in the survey, which includes 1,000 adult respondents and was conducted for UMW’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies by Research America Inc. Sept. 3-9. Several third party and independent candidates received a total of four percent support in the poll, while the remaining likely voters said they were undecided.
In a question that asked likely voters only about the major party nominees, the results also remained well within the margin of error: 48 percent favored Harris and 46 preferred Trump.
Among all survey respondents, the two major party nominees were tied at 44 percent each. Roughly five percent said they were undecided, with the remainder saying they support a third-party or independent candidate or were not planning to vote.
“This new survey suggests Virginia should be getting a much closer look from both presidential campaigns,” said Stephen J. Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington and director of UMW’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies. “Virginia may deserve to be treated as a ‘swing state’ once again this year.” Read more.