Poll: Millennials favor Warner, Sarvis, with Gillespie distant third in Senate race

Voters ages 18-35 favor incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, with a surprise in who their second choice is: Libertarian Robert Sarvis over Republican Ed Gillespie.

Warner gets 47 percent of the 18-35 vote, with Sarvis at 24 percent and Gillespie at 11 percent, according to a poll released this week by the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University.

The top-line numbers in the poll have Warner at 51 percent among all registered voters, with Gillespie at 39 percent and Sarvis at 3 percent.

The numbers for Sarvis could improve if more of the so-called Millennials make their way to the polls, but that’s a big if.

“The appeal of Libertarian Robert Sarvis among Virginia Millennials is clear, but Mark Warner’s position is strong. There is, however, a real question as to whether Millennials will turn out to vote,” said Dr. Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center for Public Policy. “A majority say they are certain to vote, but only 44% say they are paying close or somewhat close attention, so it’s easy to imagine many who might intend to vote not actually making it to the polls on Election Day.”