Democrat Edges Into Post-Primary Lead for Virginia Governor

By CQ-Roll Call Staff | June 11, 2009 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Creigh Deeds -- fresh off his runaway victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary for governor of Virginia -- has moved out to a slight lead over Republican Bob McDonnell, his opponent in the Nov. 3 general election.

A Rasmussen Reports poll taken Wednesday had Deeds at 47 percent and McDonnell, a former state Attorney General, at 41 percent. The survey was conducted as Deeds, a state senator, was basking in the media spotlight after easily defeating primary foes Terry McAuliffe, a former Democratic National Committee chairman, and former state Rep. Brian Moran.

This year's race for governor is a rematch of candidates, though for a different office: McDonnell defeated Deeds by a very narrow margin in the 2005 race for state Attorney General. In the immediate aftermath of Tuesday's primary, Deeds was rated higher in the Rasmussen poll, but just slightly.

The poll of 500 Virginia residents identified as likely voters showed Deeds with an approval rating of 59 percent and a disapproval rating of 27 percent. McDonnell has an approval rating of 52 percent and a disapproval rating of 28 percent.

Respondents said they trusted McDonnell over Deeds on tax and spending policy, but Deeds has a wider advantage on transportation, a key issue in a state known for its traffic-plagued roads.

The survey gave outgoing Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine an approval rating of 62 percent, which helps explain why Deeds has been invoking his name on the campaign trail. Kaine, who could not run this year because of the state's term limit, currently is doubling as President Obama's pick to head the Democratic National Committee and will move into that job full-time when he leaves the governor's office in January.

Obama's own ratings in the poll are more modest: 52 percent approval and 46 percent disapproval. Those figures roughly match the state vote by which Obama defeated Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential election -- a victory that made him the first Democrat to carry Virginia for president since 1964.

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