Virginia poll finds backing for McDonnell, gay adoption

RICHMOND

Virginia voters give Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell solid marks for his job performance and have favorable impressions of him, according to poll results released Wednesday that also suggest the public is split on gay marriage and adoption rights.

The 55 percent job approval rating in the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute survey follows another feather in McDonnell's cap - on Tuesday, Virginia was named best state for business by cable network CNBC.

Twenty-six percent of respondents said they dislike his job performance.

McDonnell generally scored well with independents, Republicans and other demographic groups. A pollster attributed that to voters' perception of the governor as personally likeable even if some disagree with his policies.

Those numbers give McDonnell a popularity advantage over his GOP counterparts in Florida, Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the polling institute.

"Even among Democrats he is within 10 points of parity, an unusually high level of support for a governor from the opposition party," Brown said.

If that remains constant, it could make McDonnell an attractive candidate for the Republican presidential ticket in 2012.

In addition to taking the public's temperature on McDonnell, the Quinnipiac poll sampled attitudes about Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the General Assembly and gay marriage and gay adoption, among other topics.

Bolling has a 39-20 percent positive margin, though 42 percent are undecided about him. Cuccinelli's split is 49-31 percent, with 20 percent undecided.

On the subject of same-sex marriage, 52 percent of voters oppose legalizing it.

Voters addressed the subject nearly five years ago when they approved an amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

Yet voters support allowing gay couples to adopt children by a 51-43 percent margin. Under current law, married couples and individuals, regardless of their sexuality, are eligible to adopt in Virginia.

The gay adoption debate reignited recently over proposed revisions to regulations for state-licensed private adoption agencies. Gay rights advocates are seeking to prohibit agencies from discriminating against prospective adoptive parents because they are gay. Some faith-based groups disagree, saying they would have to disregard their religious beliefs to meet that standard.

The Quinnipiac poll found that by a 48-45 percent margin, voters favor allowing church-run agencies to disqualify prospective parents because of their sexual orientation.

Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, legislative counsel for the gay rights group Equality Virginia, said the poll results show "public support for gay rights trending upward," a pattern consistent with past public opinion surveys her group has commissioned.

Family Foundation President Victoria Cobb was more skeptical, noting that Virginians have expressed their feelings on gay rights at the ballot box by electing many candidates who don't favor expanding the regulations.

The poll is based on live telephone interviews with 1,434 registered voters conducted June 21-27. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com

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Document: Full Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll