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Poll: 2017 Virginia governor race wide open

Chris Graham

virginia general assemblyVirginia Republican voters don’t know who they want to run for governor next year, and voters in general are undecided on who should win in the fall race.

This from a new poll of the Old Dominion from Public Policy Polling.

Democrats are at least settled on a candidate, with Attorney General Mark Herring’s move last summer to step aside in favor of Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam.

Northam isn’t particularly well-known, registering at 34 percent name recognition in the PPP survey.

Republican Ed Gillespie is the best-known candidate, at 42 percent, on the heels of his near-upset of U.S. Sen. Mark Warner in 2014.

Two other potential GOP candidates aren’t nearly as well-known with voters: Corey Stewart at 25 percent, and Rob Wittman at 25 percent.

Gillespie has the early lead in that three-way race among Republican voters, at 29 percent, to 16 percent for Wittman and 13 percent for Stewart.

The three hypothetical November 2017 matchups are dead heats: Gillespie leads Northam 37-36, Wittman and Northam are tied at 34, and Northam has a 34-32 lead on Stewart.

More from the poll: click here.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].