Republican Bob McDonnell holds a 9-point edge over Democrat Creigh Deeds in the Nov. 3 race for the Virginia governorship, according to a telephone survey of 500 likely voters taken Monday.
The Rasmussen Reports poll shows McDonnell, a former state attorney general, with 47 percent, while Deeds, a state senator, has 38 percent.
Including respondents who initially indicated no preference but said they "lean" toward one candidate, 49 percent favor McDonnell and 41 percent are for Deeds.
The margin of error is 4.5 percentage points.
As previous surveys have indicated, McDonnell has stronger approval ratings than Deeds. Of the new survey's respondents, 53 percent said they have either a very favorable or somewhat favorable impression of McDonnell, compared with 48 percent who said the same about Deeds. McDonnell's disapproval rating of 30 percent is lower than Deeds' disapproval rating of 39 percent.
Though President Obama carried Virginia in the 2008 election, the Rasmussen survey pegs his approval rating there at 48 percent and his disapproval rating at 51 percent. Obama appeared at a fundraiser and campaign rally for Deeds last week.
CQ Politics rates the Virginia governor's race as Leans Republican, a designation that gives McDonnell a small advantage in a highly competitive race.
-- Greg Giroux
To follow the 2009 and 2010 governors' races, check out CQ Politics' election map.
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