Poll: Syria pushes Obama approval down in Virginia

Barack Obama’s job approval in Virginia is at its lowest level in two years, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University.

Virginia voters disapprove of Obama’s handling of the Syria crisis by a 54 percent-38 percent margin, and disapprove of the job he is doing overall by a 52 percent-44 percent margin.

Obama’s job approval in Virginia was split at 48 percent approval-48 percent not approving in an August Quinnipiac poll.

“President Barack Obama’s job approval in Virginia is dropping into negative territory again with the controversy over what, if anything, the United States should do in Syria almost certainly a major reason. As has been the case during his presidency, when the president’s overall approval is underwater, the driving force is independents moving out of his column,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Independents are indeed a key factor in the low approval rating – with a 57 percent-37 percent negative rating among that demographic.

Among other findings from the recent poll:

– Virginia voters approve 46-36 percent of the job Gov. Bob McDonnell is doing, little changed from the governor’s 47-39 percent approval rating August 22. Approval is 69-15 percent among Republicans and 46-38 percent among independent voters, while Democrats disapprove 55-23 percent.

“Virginia voters’ view of their governor is mixed, with a 32-32 percent favorability,” Brown said. “Yet they continue to give him a positive job approval and one that is higher than some of his colleagues around the country who are not embroiled in controversy or being investigated for potential wrongdoing.”

– In an early look at the 2016 White House race in Virginia, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gets 42 percent, with 41 percent for New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie, the Republican. Both candidates receive overwhelming party support, but independent voters back Christie 43-36 percent.  Men back Christie 46-36 percent, while women back Clinton 49-36 percent.

Clinton tops U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky 49-40 percent. Gov. Christie beats Vice President Joseph Biden 47-35 percent. Sen. Paul gets 43 percent to Vice President Biden’s 42 percent.

Christie has the best favorability rating among Virginia voters, 55-19 percent, with  53-42 percent for Clinton, 44-46 percent for Biden and 38-33 percent for Paul.

“Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is neck and neck with New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie, but the governor comes out better when voters are asked to rate the two candidates on favorability,” Brown said. “The reason is that he has an unusually low unfavorability rating for someone as well-known as he has become.”