The latest Public Policy Polling survey of Virginia voters backs a run of recent polls that show Democrat Tim Kaine surging into the lead in what has been a tight U.S. Senate race with Republican George Allen.
The PPP survey has Kaine at 51 percent and Allen at 44 percent. The most recent survey by PPP in the race had Kaine up just one point, at 47 percent to 46 percent.
The big shift, inside the numbers, is with independent voters, who had been split down the middle but are now supporting Kaine by a 53 percent-40 percent margin.
Kaine also leads significantly among women (53 percent-41 percent) and among men (49 percent-47 percent).