Gap narrows, but McDonnell still up by seven

The gap has narrowed a bit, but the latest Rasmussen Reports poll in the Virginia governor’s race still has Republican Bob McDonnell comfortably ahead of Democrat Creigh Deeds.

McDonnell has a 50 percent-to-43 percent lead over Deeds in the latest Rasmussen survey of Virginia voters, which was released Tuesday afternoon.

The McDonnell lead in the Rasmussen poll two weeks ago was 51 percent to 42 percent.

A Mason-Dixon poll released over the weekend had the McDonnell lead at eight points. A Washington Post poll from late last week had the McDonnell lead at nine.

Inside the numbers:

– Concerns about the McDonnell grad-school thesis from 1989 that laid out an extreme social-conservative action agenda seem to be on the rise. Fifty-five percent of voters now say it is at least somewhat important in determining how they will vote. That’s up five points from the two previous surveys on the race.

– President Barack Obama’s approval rating in Virginia is 53 percent. Gov. Tim Kaine’s approval rating is at 54 percent.