Former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe has staked a 6-point lead in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, according to a new poll released Wednesday that sampled likely voters.
The latest survey from Quinnipiac University found McAuliffe claiming the support of 48 percent of likely voters in the commonwealth, while Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli trailed with 42 percent. It was the first Quinnipiac survey of the race to poll likely voters, the optimum polling sample.
McAuliffe claimed a 4-point lead over Cuccinelli in Quinnipiac’s release last month, but that poll sampled only registered voters in Virginia.
Seventy-six percent of likely voters who have made up their minds said they will definitely vote for that candidate, according to Wednesday’s poll. Only 10 percent of the same group said there’s a good chance that they will change their mind before November’s election.
The PollTracker Average, based largely on polls that used registered voter samples, currently shows McAuliffe with a 4.5-point edge.
