The Roanoke College Poll: McAuliffe widens lead over Cuccinelli

ROANOKE, Va., Oct. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Democrat Terry McAuliffe has opened a 15-point lead over Republican Ken Cuccinelli (46%-31%), while 14 percent of likely voters in Virginia remain undecided in the 2013 Gubernatorial election, according to The Roanoke College Poll. Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis claimed 9 percent of respondents.

The poll interviewed 838 likely voters in Virginia between October 21 and October 27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percent.

In the down-ticket races, Democrat Ralph Northam leads Republican E. W. Jackson for lieutenant governor (Northam—48%, Jackson—32%, Undecided—20%), and, for the first time,  Democrat Mark Herring has opened a significant lead over Republican Mark Obenshain for attorney general (Herring—46%, Obenshain—35%, Undecided—19%).

Cuccinelli remains very unpopular with voters, while McAuliffe is barely in favorable territory (Cuccinelli—28% favorable, 52% unfavorable; McAuliffe—36% favorable, 33% unfavorable). Robert Sarvis is still largely unknown to most voters (16% favorable, 13% unfavorable, 55% don't know enough to have an opinion).

The election is shaping up as a referendum on Cuccinelli. More than half (58%) of his supporters said they are voting for Cuccinelli while a plurality (44%) of McAuliffe voters said they are voting against Cuccinelli.

"Terry McAuliffe continues to widen his lead and we may now be seeing some coattails as well, particularly in the attorney general's race," said Dr. Harry Wilson, director of the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research. "Ken Cuccinelli is still the driving force in this election, both for his supporters and his detractors."

"At this point, Cuccinelli has to hope that voting for him is a much stronger motivator than voting against him," Wilson said. "McAuliffe's comparatively lower ratings on honesty and intelligence do not suggest that voters are enamored of him. As many voters anecdotally told our interviewers, he is the 'lesser of the evils.'"

More information and methodology are available at: http://bit.ly/1ckUvke

SOURCE Roanoke College