With less than two weeks before Virginia’s November 7 legislative elections, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin continues to get high marks from commonwealth voters, as the voters are split evenly between Republicans and Democrats on a generic legislative ballot.
Respondents were asked: “Do you approve or disapprove of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s job performance?” Fifty-seven percent approve of the commonwealth’s helmsman, with 43 percent disapproving, according to a poll conducted by Founders Insight with 969 likely voters October 14 through October 17. The poll carries a 3.91 percentage point margin of error.
Youngkin, who is limited to one term in the governor’s mansion, had the approval of 94 percent of Republicans, while 79 percent of Democrats disapproved.
Broken down by educational level, Youngkin had the approval of 62 percent of voters with a high school education, 57 percent of voters with a college degree, and 40 percent of voters with an advanced degree.
The former Carlyle Group co-CEO has made it his personal responsibility to support Republican candidates for the House of Delegates, where the GOP has a 52-48 advantage and the State Senate, where Democrats have control 22-18.
Democrats gained control of the State Senate in 2019, and all seats in the chamber are up this off-cycle. Republicans gained control of the House of Delegates in 2021—riding the governor’s coattails. Youngkin ended the Democrats’ eight-year reign with 51 percent of the vote.
If the governor succeeds in leading Republicans to holding the lower chamber and taking over the upper chamber, he has the chance to advance his agenda that Democrats have effectively blocked in the Senate.
The other factor that comes into play if Republicans pull off the trifecta, controlling both legislative chambers and the governor’s office, is that Youngkin immediately becomes a potential challenger to former President Donald J. Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. He will also be known as the man who reversed the commonwealth’s steady slide from a purple state to a blue one.
In the generic ballot for General Assembly seats, voters are split at 50 percent, but there are some less-than-even results in the cross tabs.
Fifty-two percent of white voters said they would vote for Republican General Assembly candidates, but only 18 percent of black voters are voting for the GOP. In what could be an essential edge, 68 percent of non-white-non-black voters support the Republicans.
Looking at the results by education, Republican candidates are the choice of 55 percent of high school graduates, 48 percent of college graduates, and only 40 percent of voters with an advanced degree.
Forty-five percent of female voters support Republicans, and 55 percent support Democrats, but these results are the obverse of the results for men. Forty-five percent of male voters are supporting Democrats, with 55 percent of male voters supporting Republicans.
– – –
Neil W. McCabe is a staff reporter for The Virginia Star.
Photo “Glenn Youngkin” by Glenn Youngkin.
