Raleigh, N.C. – Virginians just can’t get enough of Mark Warner. He holds a double-digit lead over Bob McDonnell in a hypothetical 2014 U.S. Senate race, taking 51% to McConnell’s 40%. If both politicians were pitted against each other President in 2016, Warner would carry Virginia and defeat McDonnell 50%-37%
But Virginians don’t seem to want either man to run for President – more say Warner should not run for President than say he should. 34% of Virginians would like to see Mark Warner run for President in 2016 while 39% would not. Even fewer are enthusiastic about the idea of a 2016 McDonnell presidential bid, with just 24% supporting that idea and 52% opposed.
60% say Virginia Governors should be allowed to serve more than one term, while just 31% say they should not. Despite this, Virginia residents say they would not vote to re-elect Bob McDonnell, with 51% saying they would prefer someone new (probably Mark Warner) and 36% saying they would vote to re-elect McDonnell.
More Virginians than not (50%-41%) say that gay marriage should be illegal, but most Virginia voters favor some form of legal recognition for gay couples – 35% support legal gay marriage, another 30% support civil unions and just 32% say there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship.
Democrats hold a 9-point lead in the general Congressional ballot for this fall, with 47% saying they’ll vote Democratic and 38% Republican. Outgoing Senator Jim Webb has a positive net approval rating with 42% supporting and 31% disapproving.
Turning to sports issues, there’s a 5-way tie for VA’s favorite baseball team – Yankees 14%, Orioles 13%, Nationals 13%, Braves, 13%, and Red Sox 13%. 29% of voters call themselves Virginia Tech fans, 24% UVA fans and 47% are not a fan of either school. Among Virginia Tech fans, 25% support the recent firing of men’s basketball coach Seth Greenberg, 15% disagree with it and 60% aren’t sure.
PPP surveyed 680 Virginia voters from April 26th to 29th. The margin of error for the overall survey is +/-3.8%. 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 approve or disapprove of Senator Jim
Webb’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .42%
Disapprove…………. .31%
Not sure …………….. .27%
Q2 If the candidates for US Senate in 2014 were
Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat
Mark Warner, who would you vote for?
Bob McDonnell ……………………………………….. 40%
Mark Warner …………………………………………… 51%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%
Q3 Do you think Mark Warner should run for
President in 2016, or not?
He should run …………………………………………. 34%
He should not………………………………………….. 39%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 27%
Q4 Do you think Bob McDonnell should run for
President in 2016, or not?
He should run …………………………………………. 24%
He should not………………………………………….. 52%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 24%
Q5 If the candidates for President in 2016 were
Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat
Mark Warner, who would you vote for?
Bob McDonnell ……………………………………….. 37%
Mark Warner …………………………………………… 50%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%
Q6 Do you think Virginia Governors should be
allowed to serve more than one term, or not?
They should ……………………………………………. 60%
They should not ………………………………………. 31%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%
Q7 If Bob McDonnell was allowed to run for reelection,
would you vote to keep him for
another term, or would you prefer someone
new?
Would vote to re-elect McDonnell ………………. 36%
Would prefer someone new………………………. 51%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%
Q8 If there was an election for the Congress today,
would you vote Democratic or Republican?
Democratic……………………………………………… 47%
Republican……………………………………………… 38%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 15%
Q9 Do you think same-sex marriage should be
legal or illegal?
Legal……………………………………………………… 41%
Illegal …………………………………………………….. 50%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%
Q10 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 ……………………………………………………..35%
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 …………………………………32%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 3%
Q11 What is your favorite Major League Baseball
team: the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles,
Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, New York
Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies,
Washington Nationals, or someone else?
Braves …………………………………………………… 13%
Orioles …………………………………………………… 13%
Red Sox…………………………………………………. 13%
Cubs ……………………………………………………… 4%
Mets………………………………………………………. 4%
Yankees …………………………………………………. 14%
Phillies …………………………………………………… 3%
Nationals………………………………………………… 13%
Someone else…………………………………………. 24%
Q12 Do you consider yourself to be a Virginia or
Virginia Tech fan, or are you not a fan of either
school?
Virginia…………………………………………………… 24%
Virginia Tech …………………………………………… 29%
Not a fan of either school ………………………….. 47%
Q13 (Asked only of VT fans:) Do you agree or
disagree with Virginia Tech’s decision to fire
basketball coach Seth Greenberg?
Agree …………………………………………………….. 25%
Disagree ………………………………………………… 15%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 60%
Q14 Who did you vote for President in 2008?
John McCain…………………………………………… 43%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 47%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 10%
Q15 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 9%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 20%
Moderate………………………………………………… 31%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 24%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 17%
Q16 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 53%
Man……………………………………………………….. 47%
Q17 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 ……………………………………………….. 39%
Republican……………………………………………… 32%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 29%
Q18 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 74%
African-American …………………………………….. 19%
Other……………………………………………………… 7%
Q19 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………………………………………………….. 29%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 39%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%
