President Biden’s approval ratings are underwater in Virginia as the governor’s race between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin tightens in the final days, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey released this week found.
While 47.8 percent of those surveyed said they voted for Joe Biden in the presidential election over former President Trump (40.6 percent), voters overwhelmingly disapprove of Biden’s job performance. A majority, 52.4 percent, disapprove, compared to 41.6 percent who approve:
VIRGINIA
Biden Job Approval:
Approve 42%
Disapprove 52%.@Suffolk_U/@USATODAY, 500 LV, 10/21-24https://t.co/lqcxFy3Dtc
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) October 28, 2021
The survey, taken October 21-24, 2021, among 500 likely governor’s race voters, found both McAuliffe and Youngkin with the same 43.8 percent favorability rating. However, McAuliffe’s unfavorability rating is higher than Youngkin’s — 42.8 percent to 36.8 percent.
It remains unclear how Biden’s sinking approval rating will affect fellow Democrat and former Gov. McAuliffe in the governor’s race, but poll after poll shows the race tightening up in the final stretch.
Friday’s RealClearPolitics average showed Youngkin up 0.9 percent over his Democrat challenger following a Fox News poll which showed Youngkin up by eight percentage points. Other surveys included in the average either showed McAuliffe up by one or the two candidates tied.
Similarly, a Virginia Commonwealth University survey also showed Biden’s approval in the negatives in the Old Dominion State:
VIRGINIA
Biden Job Approval:
Approve 41%
Disapprove 54%.@VCU, 722 LV, 10/9-21https://t.co/kaKN5z6KQp
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) October 28, 2021