Democratic challenger leads Comstock in Virginia House race, poll shows

State Sen. Jennifer Wexton (D) holds a 6-point lead over vulnerable GOP incumbent Rep. Barbara Comstock in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, according to a Monmouth University poll released Tuesday.

Fifty-percent of likely voters support Wexton, compared to 44 percent backing Comstock. A similar poll in June found Wexton with a 50 percent to 41 percent lead.

Monmouth University surveyed 374 likely voters in the congressional district from Sept. 26-30. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.1 percentage points.

{mosads}The survey also found that 42 percent of likely voters viewing Comstock favorably, with 45 percent having a negative view of her. Thirteen percent said they have no opinion.

Wexton, meanwhile, is viewed favorably by 42 percent of respondents, while 31 percent had a negative view. Twenty-seven percent had no opinion.

President Trump’s unpopularity is seen as a weight on Comstock, whose district is a suburb of Washington, D.C. Forty-three percent of likely voters in the district approve of his job performance, while 53 percent disapprove, according to the Monmouth poll.

About 73 percent of respondents said it is important for them to cast a vote that reflects their feelings for the president, a sentiment shared by 74 percent of Trump supporters and 82 percent of his opponents.

It was reported last week that internal polls in each campaign have the fight closer than public surveys that show Wexton ahead. 

Comstock is widely considered one of the most vulnerable House incumbents in the midterm cycle. The Cook Political Report rates the race as “Lean Democratic.”