Trending Topics: Boston bombers Solar flare bill Young voters Don't drone me, bro

June 20, 2013

Rasmussen: Virginia senate race now leans Democrat

BY: STEVE CONTORNO OCTOBER 5, 2012 | 1:16 PM
Leave a comment
Photo - Democratic candidate Tim Kaine and Republican candidate George Allen face off in a debate for the Virginia U.S. Senate seat on Sept. 20, 2012. (Graeme Jennings/Examiner)
Democratic candidate Tim Kaine and Republican candidate George Allen face off in a debate for the Virginia U.S. Senate seat on Sept. 20, 2012. (Graeme Jennings/Examiner)
Topics: Virginia

Democrat Tim Kaine now holds a commanding lead over Republican George Allen in Virginia's U.S. Senate race even as the presidential race remains very close, according to a new poll.

Rasmussen Reports' latest survey of likely voters released Friday shows Kaine with 52 percent and Allen with 45 percent. It's the first time this poll has shown either candidate crossing the 50-percent threshold, and with so few undecided and 91 percent expressing certainty that they will vote next month, Rasmussen is now upgrading the race from "toss-up" to "leans Democrat."

A poll conducted in September showed Kaine and Allen virtually tied. After months of deadlock, most polls now show Kaine pulling ahead.

Kaine's lead comes despite of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney catching President Obama in Virginia. Another Rasmussen poll released Friday gave Romney a 1 percentage point lead, a statistical tie, and most other polls have indicated the race is tightening.

Kaine and Allen, both former governors, are well-known across the state, and it shows. Despite a heated and, at times, nasty campaign -- thanks in part to the addition of TV ads from outside groups -- the two candidate remain well liked, with 52 percent having a favorable opinion of Kaine and 50 percent liking Allen.

Republicans have accused pollsters of over-sampling Democrats in recent surveys and skewing results. But the party breakdown in the Rasmussen poll was 39 percent Democrat, 37 percent Republican and 24 percent other, similar to a Marist Poll released earlier this week.

scontorno@washingtonexaminer.com

View article comments Leave a comment
Author:

Steve Contorno

Congressional Correspondent
The Washington Examiner
Email Author @scontorno Steve on FB

More from this author

More from washingtonexaminer.com

Related Articles

Top 5 Most Read Stories

From the Weekly Standard

  • June 17, 1953

    By: William Kristol

    Today, speaking at the Brandenburg Gate, President Obama paid appropriate tribute to the brave East Germans who rebelled 60 years ago against Communist dictatorship:

    Read More...

  • Problems of the Second Generation

    By: Peter Skerry

    The Boston Marathon bombings highlighted, once again, the challenges of assimilating Muslim youth. And while the onus of accountability ought not rest exclusively on Muslim Americans, it...

    Read More...

  • Release Osama Bin Laden’s Files on Taliban

    By: Thomas Joscelyn

    The Obama administration announced on Tuesday that it was moving forward with its attempt to negotiate with the Taliban, which has opened a long-awaited political office in Doha, Qatar. The...

    Read More...