Polls Show McAuliffe With Small Lead Over Cuccinelli in Virginia

Two new polls show Democrat Terry McAuliffe holding a small advantage over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia gubernatorial race.

In a Quinnipiac University survey of 1,005 likely voters, McAuliffe scores 44 percent support, compared to 41 percent for Cuccinelli and 7 percent for Libertarian Robert Sarvis. The poll conducted Sept. 9-15 suggests a virtual dead heat between the two frontrunners, given its 3.1 percentage-point margin of error.

In a Conservative Intelligence Briefing poll of 779 likely voters taken Sept. 15-16, McAuliffe leads Cuccinelli 42 percent to 37 percent, with Sarvis garnering 10 percent support.

Commenting on the impact of Sarvis on the race, Quinnipiac Assistant Polling Director Peter Brown said, "Right now, we can't tell whether [his] candidacy is hurting Cuccinelli more than McAuliffe."

Sarvis, according to Brown, is drawing 3 percent support from Republicans, 2 percent from Democrats, and 14 percent from independents.

"Since there are more people in Virginia who now consider themselves Democrats than Republicans, logic says that Cuccinelli needs a solid margin among independent voters. Instead, these voters are divided 37 percent to 37 percent between the Democrat and Republican," Brown added.