A new Politico poll has Democrat Terry McAuliffe ahead of Republican Ken Cuccinelli by nine points in the Virginia governor’s race, and suggests that the growing lead is the result of voter backlash against the GOP for the ongoing federal government shutdown.
McAuliffe is at 44 percent in the poll, to 35 percent for Cuccinelli and 12 percent for Libertarian Robert Sarvis. In a two-way race with just the major-party candidates, McAuliffe leads 52 percent to 42 percent for Cuccinelli.
Sixty-two percent of those surveyed said they oppose shutting the government down over funding for the Affordable Care Act, which an Associated Press wire story published on Sunday notes is a linchpin issue for Cuccinelli heading into the final month of the gubernatorial campaign.
Of that sizable subset of the voter population, McAuliffe has the support of 64 percent, with Cuccinelli getting 16 percent and Sarvis 12 percent.
Fifty percent of Virginia voters blame Republicans for the shutdown, with 35 percent saying they blame President Obama and Senate Democrats.
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