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Poll: Govt. shutdown affecting Va. governor’s race

Posted at 4:38 PM, Oct 15, 2013
and last updated 2013-10-15 16:38:37-04

WASHINGTON (CNN) — With three weeks to go until Election Day in Virginia, a new poll indicates Democrat Terry McAuliffe holding a single digit advantage over Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in the battle for governor.

And the survey, by the Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University, also suggests that the partial government shutdown is hurting Cuccinelli more than McAuliffe. Virginia is home to a large number of federal government and defense industry workers, many of whom have been impacted by the two-week long shutdown.

According to the poll, which was conducted Tuesday through Sunday, 46% of likely voters in the commonwealth back McAuliffe, a businessman and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee who’s making his second bid for governor. Thirty-nine percent of those questioned say they support Cuccinelli, with Libertarian Party candidate Robert Sarvis polling at 11%.