A new poll of Virginia voters has the presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump too close for comfort for either side.
The Public Policy Polling survey has Clinton with a narrow 42-39 lead over Trump, with Libertarian Gary Johnson at 6 percent, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 2 percent.
Narrowing the field to the two major-party candidates, Clinton leads Trump 48-45, with Trump’s strength, surprisingly, among independent voters, where he has a 42-29 advantage.
Clinton would seem to stand to gain ground with independents and Democrats with a favorable opinion of Bernie Sanders, among whom she is getting just 68 percent right now.
Analysis by PPP predicts that if Clinton were able to gain support from even half of the Sanders backers currently holding out, her lead on Trump would expand from three points to nine.
Fun note: Barack Obama would trounce Trump in a hypothetical two-way race, leading 52-41.
Another fun note: It wouldn’t seem to matter if Clinton were to select a running mate from Virginia. Her lead would basically remain the same with Elizabeth Warren, Tim Kaine or Mark Warner as her running mate, according to PPP.