Poll: Kaine leads Corey Stewart by 18 points in Virginia Senate race

Sen. Tim Kaine (D) leads his Republican challenger Corey Stewart by 18 points in a poll of the Virginia Senate race released Tuesday.

A Quinnipiac University survey found that Kaine enjoys the support of 54 percent of voters in the state, while Stewart sits at 36 percent in the poll.

The divide between the two candidates in the poll is particularly strong among women and non-white voters, with more than six in 10 of each demographic group supporting Kaine.

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Kaine also remains more popular among Democrats (94 percent) than Stewart is among Republicans (83 percent). Kaine leads 54 percent to 34 percent among independent voters.

Stewart’s campaign has been dogged by accusations that the candidate expressed support for Paul Nehlen, a GOP candidate who attempted to challenge Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), after Nehlen revealed white nationalist and anti-Semitic views.

While voters in Virginia remain divided on their support for the Democratic Party (46 percent favorable to 45 percent unfavorable), the GOP remains underwater with Virginians. Just 32 percent of voters in the state have a favorable view of the Republican Party, while 59 percent disapprove of the job the GOP is doing, according to the poll.

President Trump, who has thrown his support behind Stewart, remains unpopular in the state as just 37 percent of voters in the state approve of the job he is doing while 58 percent disapprove of his efforts so far in office.

Kaine, who has served in the Senate since 2013 and served as Hillary Clinton’s running mate during the 2016 presidential race, holds an edge over Stewart among Virginians who say the candidate shares their values.

Over half of voters, 51 percent, said Kaine shared their values, while 39 percent said he did not. Meanwhile, 43 percent of voters said Stewart did not share their values, while just under a third, 28 percent, said he did.

Quinnipiac’s poll of 1,082 Virginia voters was conducted June 21-25 and has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.