McAuliffe leads Cuccinelli in Virginia governor’s race

Democrat Terry McAuliffe has vaulted into the lead over Attorney General
Ken Cuccinelli II in a Virginia governor’s race that has left many
voters sour on both candidates, according to a new Washington
Post/Abt-SRBI poll.

McAuliffe leads 47 percent to 39 percent among likely voters, with
Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis’s 10 percent suggesting an unrest
among voters not satisfied with either major-party contender. In a
one-on-one matchup without Sarvis in the mix, the poll shows a narrower,
49-44 race between McAuliffe and Cuccinelli among likely voters — but
still flips Cuccinelli’s 10-point lead from this spring.

***The shift in the race has come almost exclusively from women voters,
who prefer McAuliffe by a 24-point margin over Cuccinelli. The
candidates were effectively tied among women in a May Washington Post
poll.***

McAuliffe’s strength among women is likely due in part to an intense
campaign to portray Cuccinelli as a threat to women and the issues they
care about most deeply. A new McAuliffe ad, for instance, features a
Norfolk OB-GYN speaking directly to the camera about how she is
“offended” by Cuccinelli’s position on abortion.

The challenge for Cuccinelli is stark: Nearly half of all voters view
him unfavorably, and they trust his opponent as much as or more than the
Republican on every major issue in the race, according to the poll.

“I really disagree with Cuccinelli’s politics, especially his
anti-abortion stance,” said Gina Gabelia, 32, who lives in Ashburn and
works at a non-profit.

As for McAuliffe, Gabelia said: “His advertisements make him sound like
a standup guy, but who knows? … He has a good campaign manager.”

Much more at:

http://tinyurl.com/pxxhnnw


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Apparently waging a war on women is not such a good idea these days for
a Republican candidate running for statewide office in Virginia.