Poll Guru Larry Sabato Calls For ‘Investigation’ Into Virginia Polling

The candidates shake hands before the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce hosts Virginia's U.S. Senate Debate between Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, right, and Republican challenger Ed Gillespie on Tuesday, Oct. 7,... The candidates shake hands before the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce hosts Virginia's U.S. Senate Debate between Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, right, and Republican challenger Ed Gillespie on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014 in McLean, Va. (AP Photo/The Washington Post, Bill O'Leary, Pool) MORE LESS
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Larry Sabato, editor-in-chief of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, said Wednesday on Fox News that he would like to see an investigation into what exactly happened with poling in the Virginia race for U.S. Senate between Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) and former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie.

The race between Warner and Gillespie was not expected to be competitive but turned out to be surprisingly tight.

“I want an investigation of the polls in Virginia. They were completely wrong just as they were in Georgia,” Sabato said on Fox & Friends. “They were also way off in Illinois. And I could go on and on. Boy is that an industry that needs some house cleaning. And Virginia’s a good example, I don’t know whether it was a combination by the Warner people. I think certainly a smart campaign by Ed Gillespie who came very close to being a U.S. Senator and now has set himself up to run for governor perhaps in 2017, or another major office. So all elections have consequences beyond the actual day. That’s a good example.”

Late Tuesday night Warner declared victory in the race but Gillespie had not conceded. As of Wednesday morning Warner held a narrow lead over Gillespie —12,000 votes of the 2.1 million ballots that had been cast, according to The Associated Press.

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