Obama leads McCain by 6% in Virginia
Also…
Voters want candidates to focus on the economy between now and election day
Voters think Joe Biden is better Vice Presidential candidate
For Immediate Release - October 16, 2008
Media Contact:
Dr. Quentin Kidd
Director – CNU Center for Public Policy
http://cpp.cnu.edu
Office: (757) 594-8499
Mobile: (757) 320-3980
qkidd@cnu.edu
Obama leads McCain in Virginia
(NEWPORT NEWS, VA) – With just under three weeks to go before Election Day, Senator Barack Obama leads Senator John McCain in Virginia by 6.0% among likely voters, 49.2% to 43.2%. Obama’s lead appears to be driven by voter concerns about the economy. Asked to name the top issue that they would like candidates to address between now and Election Day, just over six in ten likely voters say the economy. No other issue breaks double digits. These findings are from the Christopher Newport University Virginia Poll conducted October 11-14 of 500 likely voters.
When asked which would be the second issue that they would like the candidates to address between now and Election Day, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan top the list at 20.4%, followed closely by health care at 18.5% and then the economy, gas prices and energy policy, and terrorism. Fewer than 7% want the candidates to address the personal character and integrity of the candidates, suggesting that voters have not responded well to Senator McCain’s efforts to make Senator Obama’s character and integrity an issue in the final weeks of the election.
Nearly 50% of voters think that Joe Biden is the stronger Vice Presidential candidate, compared to just one in three who say Sarah Palin is the stronger Vice Presidential candidate.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University
October 2008 Virginia Poll
Final Topline
Field: October 11-14, 2008
N=500
Likely Voters
Likely voter screen: registered to vote and voted in either 2006 or 2007 general elections
Q1 If the election for president were held today, for whom would you be most likely to vote,[names rotated] Barack Obama the Democrat or John McCain the Republican, or haven’t you decided?
49.2 ............. Barack Obama the Democrat
43.2 ............. John McCain the Republican
7.6 ............... Undecided
Q2 [UNDECIDED in Q1 only] Toward whom are you leaning, [names rotated] Obama the Democrat or McCain the Republican?
52.3 ............. Obama the Democrat
47.7 ............. McCain the Republican
| Horse Race including leaners: 53.2 ............. Obama the Democrat 46.8 ............. McCain the Republican |
Q3 Who do you think is the stronger Vice Presidential candidate, [names rotated] Sarah Palin or Joe Biden, or do you think they are about the same?
32.8 ............. Sarah Palin
49.8 ............. Joe Biden
13.8 ............. About the Same
3.7 ............. Don't Know/Refused
Q4a From the time between now and Election Day, tell me which ONE of the following issues is the TOP issue that you would like to hear the presidential candidates address ... [issues rotated]?
Q4b … and which would be the SECOND most important issue that you would like to hear the presidential candidates address?
Top Second
61.1 15.5 The economy and jobs
6.3 12.4 Terrorism and national security
8.7 18.5 Health care
6.9 20.4 The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
3.0 14.2 Gas prices and energy policy
4.0 5.4 Illegal immigration
2.8 1.8 Abortion
1.7 5.1 The environment
5.4 6.6 The personal character and integrity of the candidates
Demographics:
Q5 [respondent gender]
42.0 ............. MALE
58.0 ............. FEMALE
Q6 [respondent age]
12.4 ............. 18-29
23.5 ............. 30-44
28.8 ............. 45-59
35.4 ............. 60-older
Q7 [respondent education]
48.7 ............. Four-year university degree or higher
27.0 ............. Some college or two-year associates degree
21.4 ............. High school diploma or GED
2.9 ............. Did not finish high school
Q8 [respondent income]
38.5 ............. $75,000 or higher
21.9 ............. Between $50,000 and $74,999
20.8 ............. Between $25,000 and $49,000
18.8 ............. Less than $25,000
Q9 [respondent party identification]
34.5 ............. Democrat
29.8 ............. Republican
33.3 ............. Independent
2.4 ............... Other/Refused
Q10 [respondent race/ethnicity]
20.0 ............. African-American
73.0 ............. White
7.0 ............. Other
Survey Methodology:
This Virginia Poll is provided as a public service to the citizens of Virginia. It is a public opinion survey of likely Virginia voters conducted by telephone between October 11-14, 2008. Results for the full sample have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38% at the 95% confidence level. This means for the full sample we can be 95% confident that the error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 4.38%. In addition to sampling error, the other potential sources of error include non-response, question wording, and interviewer error. Where percentages for subgroups are reported, the margin of error would be higher. The poll was designed by the Center for Public Policy at CNU and conducted for CNU by MSL TeleServices of Stamford, CT. For information or requests, contact Dr. Quentin Kidd, at (757) 594-8499 or qkidd@cnu.edu.
Christopher Newport University is a four-year public university in Newport News, Virginia. CNU enrolls 5,000 students in rigorous academic programs through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Joseph W. Luter III College of Business and Leadership and offers great teaching, small classes and an emphasis on leadership, civic engagement and honor. Visit us at www.cnu.edu.