With just two weeks left until Virginians elect a new governor, Republican Bob McDonnell holds an 8 percentage-point lead over Democrat Creigh Deeds, according to a Clarus Research Group survey Oct. 18-19.

The survey shows political independents solidly favoring McDonnell, a former state Attorney General, over Deeds, a state senator.

While both candidates are winning overwhelming shares of voters who affiliate with their respective parties, voters who don't consider themselves either Republicans or Democrats are backing McDonnell by 50 percent to 36 percent.

The poll yielded more evidence that McDonnell has weathered attacks from Deeds and political surrogates, which claim that McDonnell has focused on a narrow conservative social-issues agenda.

Majorities of American adults think the war in Afghanistan cannot be won and that its most likely conclusion would be no conclusion at all, according to a poll by Clarus Research Group conducted Oct. 1-4.

Sixty-eight percent of the respondents said the United States will not win or lose the war which will go on without resolution, Clarus said.

Sixty-one percent of Democrats want to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, while 17 percent want to send in additional troops. Fifty-four percent of Republicans and 47 percent of independents are in favor of sending in more troops.

The poll was based on telephone interviews with 1,000 adults nationwide and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Fully 20 percent of Virginians surveyed don't know who they want as their next governor, according to a Clarus Research Group poll conducted Sept. 10-14.

The poll -- like other recent surveys that use different methodology -- found that Republican Bob McDonnell is leading Democrat Creigh Deeds.

The race for governor of Virginia has tightened somewhat, although Republican Bob McDonnell still leads Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds, The margin in this poll is pegged at 42 percent to 37 percent, with a much greater portion of undecideds than were identified in a Sept. 1 Rasmussen Reports poll.

Nothing like an economic mess to make workers appreciate their jobs. A poll conducted Aug. 14-18 by Clarus Research Group found that 88 percent of U.S. workers are happy with their employment.

"In these tough times of high unemployment and uncertainty, many workers are happy that they have jobs," said Clarus President Ron Faucheux. "However, despite the nationwide results, there were important differences among population groups, especially based on age, race, education and region."

Here's who we are and how happy we are:

If the 2012 election were held now, President Obama would be re-elected comfortably, despite his approval sliding below 50 percent and rising doubts among independent voters, according to a Clarus Research Group poll conducted Aug. 14-19.

Clarus found that Obama would win in trial heats against a slate of possible Republican candidates:

-- Against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 47 percent to 38 percent;

-- Against former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, 53 percent to 34 percent;