A Fox News poll showed Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin leading Democratic opponent and former Governor Terry McAuliffe by eight points.
The poll, released Thursday, “found that 53% of likely voters would vote for Youngkin, while only 45% said they would vote for McAuliffe.”
The poll is based off a random sample of 1,212 registered voters in Virginia interviewed by landlines and cellphones. The margin of error is 2.5 percentage points.
Voters identifying as parents in the same poll supported Youngkin by a margin of 14 points, according to Fox News.
Education is playing a significant role the gubernatorial election set for Nov. 2 as parents have voiced concerns at the Loudoun and Fairfax County school boards regarding the instruction of critical race theory (CRT) and sexually explicit material in classrooms.
Youngkin in a gubernatorial debate affirmed his belief that parents should have a say in the education of their children while McAuliffe said “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”
And here was the reaction to this poll just minutes ago at the @GlennYoungkin rally in Buena Vista, Virginia: pic.twitter.com/tF5oiHMVl5
— Robert Sherman (@RobertShermanTV) October 28, 2021
McAuliffe, who previously described parental concerns over education as “generated by Glenn Youngkin,” received support from President Joe Biden amid a race that has grown increasingly tight.
A speech by former President Barack Obama in support of McAuliffe, where he “dismissed education issues as unserious,” alienated some Virginia parents, according to Fox News. (RELATED: Virginia Education Department Promotes Pro-CRT Book, Despite McAuliffe’s Claims The Curricula Isn’t Taught In The State)
Amid the tight race both candidates “have called for more investment in education” in Virginia, according to Fox News.