Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has opened up a five point lead over former Democratic Party chairman Terry McAuliffe with six months to go until the voters in the Old Dominion pick a new governor.
A Washington Post poll gives Cuccinelli a 46 percent to 41 percent lead over McAuliffe. Among voters who say they are certain to vote in November, Cuccinelli has an even bigger lead — 51 percent to 41 percent.
However, those numbers could change in light of the fact that only 10 percent of Virginia voters say they are currently following the campaign "very closely" and nearly half of those polled say they are either undecided or could change their mind before election day.
McAuliffe has never held office in the state, and a full 70 percent of Virginia voters say they know "just a little" or "nothing at all" about him. Even most Democrats say they know little about their party's own nominee.
Cuccinelli's early lead reflects the popularity he has gained from the GOP base. The poll showed 95 percent of Republicans and 73 percent of conservatives with strong support for the Republican attorney general.
McAuliffe is struggling to win strong support from African Americans, young voters, and women — groups that President Barack Obama won handily according to the state's exit polls during the 2012 presidential election.
The poll was conducted between April 29 to May 2 among 1,000 Virginian adults.
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