Poll: GOP has 9-point lead in Va. governor’s race

RICHMOND, Va. — Republican Bob McDonnell holds a lead of 9 percentage points over his Democratic rival in Virginia’s governor’s race 27 days before the election, according to a Washington Post poll published Thursday.

The results suggest McDonnell is pulling away from Democrat R. Creigh Deeds in one of the only two gubernatorial contests in the nation this year. Both are being closely watched as early voter verdicts on President Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress.

In New Jersey, Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine is trying to fend off Republican challenger Chris Christie.

The Post’s statewide survey of 1,001 likely voters from Oct. 4-7 showed 53 percent supported McDonnell to 44 percent for Deeds.

The 9 percentage point margin is well outside the plus-or-minus 3 percentage point margin of sampling error. It’s also more than double McDonnell’s 4-point edge in the same poll three weeks ago.

The issues in which McDonnell fared best over Deeds were also those that survey respondents ranked as the most important to them, chiefly issues tied to money.

On the issue most often ranked No. 1, jobs and the economy, 53 percent said they trusted McDonnell, to Deeds’ 39 percent. On taxes, the margin for McDonnell was 15 points. And on transportation, McDonnell had a 12-point edge.

More troubling for Deeds is that an issue his campaign has pushed strongly — a stridently conservative college thesis McDonnell wrote 20 years ago at age 34 — was rated next to last in importance by those surveyed.

The poll comes amid record spending by national party organizations and outside interest groups, reflecting the high stakes the contest represents.

Democrats from the White House to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine — the Democratic National Committee chairman — want to keep control of the governor’s office one year after Obama became the first Democrat in 44 years to win Virginia. And Republicans, without a major statewide victory since 2000, fear another rout could irreparably weaken them heading into the 2011 reapportionment of legislative and congressional districts.

The DNC committed an additional $1 million to Deeds on top of $5 million already targeted to his and other Virginia races. Organized labor groups have also heavily supported Deeds.

McDonnell has received nearly $2 million each from the Republican National Committee and the Republican Governors Association, not counting $2.5 million the RGA has pumped into a political action committee created solely to attack Deeds. The National Rifle Association is also doing $540,000 in television and other advertising statewide for McDonnell.

Deeds campaign: www.deedsforvirginia.com/

McDonnell campaign: www.bobmcdonnell.com/