Harris tops Trump in Virginia: Polls

Two new polls are showing Vice President Harris leading former President Trump in Virginia, a major shift for Democrats in the state from when President Biden was at the top of the ticket. 

According to a Washington Post-Schar School poll released Tuesday, Harris leads Trump 50 percent to 42 percent in the state, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. 

The poll found that 55 percent of female Virginia voters said they would vote for Harris, compared with only 37 percent for Trump. Additionally, Harris performs well among Black Virginia voters, garnering 73 percent of their support. 

The poll unsurprisingly showed Harris performing well in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and in the greater Richmond region, while Trump performed well in rural central and western Virginia. However, in the state’s competitive Tidewater region, Harris leads Trump 49 to 42 percent. 

A separate Morning Consult poll released Monday showed Harris topping Trump by 10 points in Virginia, 52 to 42 percent. 

The latest data marks a change from when Biden was at the top of the ticket in the blue-leaning state.

Despite successful performances in the 2022 midterms and the state’s 2023 off-year elections, Democrats appeared to be struggling at the top of the presidential ticket with Biden as the nominee. Republicans, on the other hand, were increasingly bullish. The Hill’s Decision Desk HQ average showed Biden leading Trump by only 1.3 points when he was leading the Democratic ticket. 

The Washington Post-Schar School poll was conducted Sept. 4-8 among 1,005 Virginia voters. The Morning Consult poll was conducted between Aug. 30 and Sept. 8 among 850 likely voters. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 points.