Raleigh, N.C. – Republican Rob McKenna has taken a slight lead in the Washington gubernatorial race with less than five months to go until the election.
McKenna leads Democrat Jay Inslee 43-40. The race was tied at 42% apiece in February, when the last statewide gubernatorial poll was conducted.
McKenna’s modest advantage comes as the state attorney general is improving his popularity among state Republicans. 66% of Washington Republican voters have a favorable opinion of McKenna, up 4 points from February. McKenna has a 40% favorability rating with all Washington voters.
In addition to appealing to his base, McKenna has also improved his standing with a broader electorate. The Republican candidate wins Independents over Inslee 46-31. McKenna also tops Inslee with young voters (age 18 to 29) and voters over 65. McKenna wins both women and men over Inslee.
There’s greater support for legalizing marijuana than legalizing gay marriage in Washington. Washingtonians support passing Initiative 502 by a 13-point spread (50-37), while they support legalizing gay marriage by a 9-point margin (51-42).
Men support legalizing marijuana considerably more than women—55% of men support Initiative 502 while 46% of women support it. Unsurprisingly, Democrats support the measure more than Republicans by a significant margin (48 points). Independents support the measure 54-33. Washington remains a state strongly supportive of gay marriage rights. 77% of voters believe same-sex couples should either be allowed to legally marry or form civil unions. In February, that number was 78%.
“A majority of Washington voters now support gay marriage,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “Equality advocates are in position now to go 4 for 4 this fall, winning Minnesota, Maryland, and Maine in addition to Washington.”
PPP surveyed 1,073 Washington voters from June 14th to June 17th. The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.0%. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Jay Inslee?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 33%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 29%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 38%
Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Rob McKenna?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 40%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 30%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 30%
Q3 If the candidates for Governor this fall were
Democrat Jay Inslee and Republican Rob
McKenna, who would you vote for?
Jay Inslee……………………………………………….. 40%
Rob McKenna …………………………………………. 43%
Undecided………………………………………………. 17%
Q4 Do you think same-sex marriage should be
legal or illegal?
Legal …………………. .51%
Illegal ………………… .42%
Not sure …………….. . 7%
Q5 Which of the following best describes your
opinion on gay marriage: gay couples should
be allowed to legally marry, or gay couples
should be allowed to form civil unions but not
legally marry, or there should be no legal
recognition of a gay couple’s relationship?
Gay couples should
be allowed to legally
marry…………………..47%
Gay couples should
be allowed to form
civil unions but not
marry…………………..30%
There should be no
legal recognition of
a gay couple’s
relationship ………….21%
Not sure …………….. . 2%
Q6 Washington Initiative 502 would license and
regulate marijuana production, distribution, and
possessions for persons over 21; remove state
-law criminal and civil penalties for activities
that it authorizes; tax marijuana sales; and
earmark marijuana-related revenues. If the
election was today, would you vote yes or no
on Initiative 502?
Yes………………………………………………………… 50%
No …………………………………………………………. 37%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%
Q7 In the NBA finals, are you rooting for the
Oklahoma City Thunder or Miami Heat, or do
you not care?
Thunder …………….. .16%
Heat ………………….. .13%
Don’t care ………….. .71%
Q8 Who did you vote for President in 2008?
John McCain…………………………………………… 38%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 55%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 7%
Q9 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 12%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 24%
Moderate………………………………………………… 28%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 23%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 12%
Q10 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 54%
Man……………………………………………………….. 46%
Q11 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 36%
Republican……………………………………………… 28%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 36%
Q12 If you are white, press 1. If other, press 2.
White …………………………………………………….. 86%
Other……………………………………………………… 14%
Q13 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 12%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 26%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 43%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 19%
