By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – One week out from Election Day, Democrat Abigail Spanberger is leading Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia’s race for governor, according to the latest polling.
Earle-Sears has stepped away from the campaign trail this week to attend a special legislative session in Richmond, where lawmakers are reconvening ahead of the Nov. 4 election.
A new Wason Center poll from Christopher Newport University shows Spanberger at 50% and Earle-Sears at 43%. About 6% of voters said they’re still undecided, and 1% said they plan to back someone else. The survey included just over 800 likely voters and was taken Oct. 21 through 23, about a week before early voting wraps up.
Spanberger’s lead is strongest among Democrats, black voters and Virginians under 45. Earle-Sears continues to do well with Republicans, white voters and men.
In the lieutenant governor’s race, Democrat Sen. Ghazala Hashmi is slightly ahead of Republican John Reid, 47% to 45%. Reid recently hosted what may have been Virginia’s first AI debate, featuring an AI-generated image of Hashmi, which drew plenty of attention and questions.
The attorney general’s race is even tighter. Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares is holding a slim edge over Democrat Jay Jones, 46% to 45%, after renewed focus on Jones’s 2022 text-messaging scandal. Most voters said they’ve heard about it, and nearly half said it could influence their vote.
Voters said their biggest concerns this election are threats to democracy and the cost of living, followed by health care and immigration.
About 29% of voters said they’ve already cast their ballots, with Republicans slightly ahead of Democrats so far.