A new poll released late Thursday reveals that former chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) leads all Republican and Democratic challengers in the 2017 Virginia gubernatorial race.
Gillespie leads in the Republican primary with 33 percent of the vote, and state Sen. Frank Wagner came in second with 9 percent. Self-described “Trump candidate” Corey Stewart brings up the rear, earning 7 percent, according to the poll.
“Multiple public polls have confirmed that Ed Gillespie is the clear frontrunner in the race to be the Republican nominee and that Ed is the only candidate that can beat liberals Ralph Northam and Tom Perriello in November,” said Gillespie Campaign Manager Chris Leavitt.
“Everywhere we go, Ed lays out a positive vision and talks about his plan to get Virginia growing again. We are running a positive, policy-driven campaign and building an unrivaled ground game. Ed Gillespie is unifying our party and our Commonwealth.”
Gillespie also bested his primary opponents in favorable ratings, earning a 20 percent favorable rating, compared to Wagner’s 9 percent, and Stewart’s 7 percent.
“It seems early, but the June primaries will be here before you know it,” said poll director Dr. Quentin Kidd. “With most voters undecided in both parties, and last year’s political turbulence spilling over into this election, anything could happen.”
A separate Mason-Dixon poll taken in January revealed that Gillespie defeated both candidates in the Democratic primary, Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam, and Rep. Tom Perriello.
The new poll was taken by Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Public Policy. The poll included 1,002 registered voters in the state of Virginia, and ran from Jan. 15 to Jan. 28. The poll margin of error of the poll is 3.2 percentage points in either direction.
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