E.W. Jackson, the Republican nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor who made national headlines for his controversial comments, is trailing his opponent, Democrat Ralph Northam, by 7 points, according to a poll released Tuesday from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling.
Forty-two percent of those surveyed favor Northam, while 35 percent favor Jackson, the poll found. Only 15 percent said they had a favorable opinion of Jackson, while 28 percent said they had an unfavorable opinion. Fifty-seven percent said they were unsure.
In comparison, 16 percent held a positive view of Northam and 19 percent had a negative view. Northam had lower name recognition than Jackson, with 65 percent saying they were still unsure of what they thought of him.
Jackson’s high disapproval rating likely stems from his previous incendiary comments, including claiming that government social programs have done more harm to the “black family” than slavery.
PPP surveyed 601 registered Virginia voters between July 11-14. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
