Poll: Clinton Leads Trump; Ties With Bush, Rubio, Walker in Virginia

ROANOKE, Va. /PRNewswire/ — Among Virginians, likely Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump (45%-32%), but is in a virtual tie with Jeb Bush (42%-41%), Marco Rubio(41%-40%), and Scott Walker (42%-38%), according to The Roanoke College Poll.

Despite the attention given to the Planned Parenthood videos, opinion regarding abortion is unchanged sinceJuly 2013. Virginians polled are more likely to see the Confederate battle flag as a symbol of Southern pride (42%) rather than as a racist symbol (31%).

The Roanoke College Poll interviewed 608 residents in Virginia between August 10 and August 20 and has a margin of error of +4 percent.

“Clinton’s lead over potential Republican opponents appears to have shrunk, although the comparisons are not perfect,” said Harry Wilson, director of the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research. “Of course, it is still very early, but no one likes to lose momentum. While she appears to be replicating the Obama winning coalition among blacks and women, she is not creating an age gap.”

“Despite the media attention to the Planned Parenthood videos, overall opinion regarding abortion is unchanged. Opinion regarding abortion is generally thought to change slowly, if at all, and that certainly seems true in this case. We may have reached a tipping point on symbols, especially when it comes to removing statues dedicated to Civil War veterans. The racial and regional differences regarding the flag are what we would expect to see. Perhaps most interesting is that those who had ancestors who fought for North were more sympathetic to the battle flag and its symbolism than those who did not have any ancestor in the War.”

More information is available at http://www.roanoke.edu/about/news/rc_poll_politics_aug_2015.

---