In a new Quinnipiac University survey rolled out on
Wednesday, Virginia’s Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli, and former chairman of
the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe, remained head-to-head in
the opinions of registered voters in Virginia who were polled.[1]
The former led with 40 percent to 38 percent, while 18 percent of those polled
were undecided.
What might be the most important take-away from this latest
survey is how relatively unknown BOTH candidates are running for governor. This
finding came as a surprise to me considering the headlines Cuccinelli has made
during his stint as Virginia’s attorney general, for all of the wrong reasons
of course.
More promising for the McAuliffe campaign was the following
finding: 16 percent had an unfavorable view of the former Democratic Committee
chair while 24 had an unfavorable view of Cuccinelli.
According to Peter Brown, assistant director of the
Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, “At this point in the race, the number
of voters who see Cuccinelli as ‘too conservative’ is higher than the number
who see McAuliffe as ‘too liberal.’[2]
That’s good, because unless we’re living in Mississippi, McAuliffe is far from
being ‘too liberal.’
While the survey probably didn’t provide too much
information the McAuliffe campaign wasn’t already aware of (e.g., McAuliffe’s
name recognition is below that of Cuccinelli’s), it does reveal a number of
bright spots that his campaign can focus on during the remaining months of the ‘contest’
for the governor’s position.
The poll demonstrated that more voters view Cuccinelli as ‘too
conservative.’ While Cuccinelli will undoubtedly attempt to move more towards
the middle of the political spectrum in the weeks and months ahead, the results
of the latest Quinnipiac University survey may be an indication that it’s
already too late for Cuccinelli to shed the ‘kook’ label that he so rightfully
deserves as a far right extremist.
Polls/surveys are not, of course, destiny. A lot can happen
from now until the election. But given McAuliffe’s relatively unfamiliar ‘brand,’
the path to the Governor’s Mansion may well be in the hands of his campaign, an
opportunity that some politicians don’t get to enjoy (e.g., Ken Cuccinelli, who
has already largely been defined).
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