Democrat Ralph Northam has a five-point lead on Republican Ed Gillespie in the race for the open Virginia governor job, according to a poll released Monday by the University of Mary Washington.

Libertarian Cliff Hyra was at 3 percent in the polling.
Democrats also have steady leads down ticket. Lieutenant governor nominee Justin Fairfax has a 45-40 lead on Republican State Sen. Jill Vogel, and Attorney General Mark Herring has a 47-40 lead on Republican nominee John Adams.
The 1,000-person survey of Virginia adults was conducted for UMW by Princeton Survey Research Associates International Sept. 5-12.
Back at the top of the ticket, Northam is running strongest, not surprisingly, in Northern Virginia, where he leads Gillespie 55-27. Gillespie has a 48-38 lead on Northam in Western Virginia.
The race is tighter in Northwest Virginia (Gillespie has a 48-40 lead), Central Virginia (Northam has a 45-40 lead) and Tidewater (the two candidates are tied at 41.)