WASHINGTON
Virginia's race for the U.S. Senate remains a runaway for Democratic nominee Mark Warner, a new poll taken for The Virginian-Pilot and other news organizations indicates.
The Mason-Dixon Virginia poll, conducted earlier this week, found Warner preferred by 57 percent of state voters, compared to 31 percent for Republican Jim Gilmore. Eleven percent of those polled said they remain undecided.
The results were released a few hours before the candidates were scheduled to meet in Roanoke for the third and final debate of their campaign.
"We don't believe these polls," said Dick Leggitt, Gilmore's campaign manager. "We acknowledge that we're behind, but we do not acknowledge that we're behind by the kind of digits these people are showing."
Though Warner's lead was slightly smaller than the 61-28 advantage he enjoyed in a Mason-Dixon poll just a week earlier, the survey was packed with encouraging news for his campaign and bad signs for Gilmore.
Indeed, the number of voters who view Gilmore negatively - 34 percent - outnumbered those holding a favorable opinion - 28 percent. Fifty-nine percent of those polled said they have a favorable opinion of Warner, compared with 17 percent who viewed him negatively.
Regionally, Warner continues to hold double-digit leads in every part of the state, including a 31-point edge, 58-27, in Hampton Roads. He also leads by double digits among voters in every age group and among both men and women.
The survey also indicated that Warner enjoys the support of more than 90 percent of his fellow Democrats and has the backing of nearly six of every 10 independents. He also was supported by nearly one in four Republicans.
Warner "is energized by the overwhelming bipartisan support," said Kevin Hall, his spokesman.
Twenty-two percent of Warner's supporters said they favor Republican John McCain in the presidential race; just 2 percent of Gilmore's supporters back Democrat Barack Obama for the White House.
The Mason-Dixon poll was based on interviews with 625 registered voters, all of whom described themselves as likely to go to the polls next month. It has a statistical margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Dale Eisman, (703) 913-9872, dale.eisman@pilotonline.com
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Dumb People Vote
That says some thing when people can't figure out there is a Mark Warner and John Warner as their Senators?! Seems like a pretty lame excuse of trying to deny Mark Warners popularity. Some people will say anything, no matter how foolish, for the benefit of ideological/political beliefs. Sad.
Warner for Senate....
"We don't believe these polls," said Dick Leggitt, Gilmore's campaign manager. "We acknowledge that we're behind, but we do not acknowledge that we're behind by the kind of digits these people are showing."
Well Dick, maybe come election day you'll believe it!
Are some voters confused?
Forgive me if this issue has been brought up before and I missed it, but are some voters possibly confused? Our incumbent senator's last name is also Warner, and has enjoyed broad support by Virginians in his multiple terms as senator. I cannot help but think that some voters may not realize that our current Senator Warner is stepping down and the Warner mentioned in polls is altogether different. In other words, I think Mark Warner may be enjoying some percentage of support due simply to confusion on the part of some voters. (Obviously, the first names are different, but there are quite a few voters who acquaint themselves only loosely with candidates' names, often remembering only the surname.) I do think that Mark Warner holds a clear lead, but I think the wide margin is due to name confusion.