Sen. Amanda Chase and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe lead their parties' gubernatorial fields in a poll by Christopher Newport University's Wason Center for Civic Leadership conducted in February.
Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and state Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, lead the packs in pursuit of their parties’ gubernatorial nominations, according to a poll released Friday by the Wason Center for Civic Leadership at Christopher Newport University.
McAuliffe, who has outraised other Democrats in campaign funds, leads the field with 26% of the vote — although 49% of Democratic voters surveyed said they are undecided. Chase has a narrower lead of 17% among likely Republican voters polled. On the GOP side, 55% say they’re undecided.
Here’s the breakdown among the other Democratic candidates:
- Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax — 12%
- Former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy and state Sen. Jennifer McClellan — tied at 4% each
- Del. Lee Carter — 1%
And on the Republican side:
- Del. Kirk Cox — 10%
- Pete Snyder, entrepreneur — 6%
- Glenn Youngkin, former CEO of The Carlyle Group — 3%
Chase’s hard-right stance and ardent support of former President Trump, which has led her into trouble with fellow Republicans and Democrats, is a sharp contrast next to the more moderate Cox, the former speaker of the House of Delegates. As voters get to know other candidates, the tension “could crack the party and open the door for Snyder or another contender,” Wason Center Research Director Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo said in a statement. Quentin Kidd, the center’s academic director, notes that McAuliffe “opens with a head start, but he’s a long way from closing the deal.”
