A new Rasmussen Reports poll released Tuesday has Democrat Terry McAuliffe leading Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) 50 percent to 33 percent in the Virginia gubernatorial race.
The poll‘s finding is one of the widest leads in McAuliffe’s favor in the Virginia governor’s race and underscores the increasing margin Cuccinelli has to overcome in the race. The poll also found that libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis has 8 percent support among likely Virginia voters. Meanwhile, just 3 percent prefer another candidate and 5 percent say they are undecided.
The survey suggests that the McAuliffe campaign’s recent attacks tying Cuccinelli to the government shutdown and also pegging him as a radical conservative are paying off.
A day earlier Cuccinelli suggested that he was unsure whether he would have voted on the bipartisan measure that ended the government shutdown. The McAuliffe campaign quickly released a statement hammering the Republican attorney general.
“Ken Cuccinelli’s refusal today to support reopening the government demonstrates a lack of leadership. Once again, he has put Tea Party ideology above what is best for Virginia,” McAuliffe said in a statement. “When Washington gridlock is hurting Virginia families, ‘I don’t know’ doesn’t cut it.”
