Voter enthusiasm might be the difference in Virginia's 7th Congressional District race between GOP incumbent Dave Brat and surging Democrat Abigail Spanberger, according to the latest poll from The Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University.
The race is a statistical dead heat with Spanberger holding a 1-point edge on Rep. Brat 46-45 among likely voters, which is well within the poll's plus or minus 4.2 percentage point margin of error. Among the most committed voters, Spanberger's lead widens to 3 points 48-45 percent, albeit still within the margin.
Voter turnout will decide this race and Democrats are holding that edge in this poll. There is a 16-point enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans, as just 62 percent of the GOP is "very enthusiastic" about voting compared to 78 percent of Democrats who are.
In other more national concerns, Democrats are polling better:
- 47 percent of voters approve of the job President Donald Trump is doing, 51 percent disapprove; 30 percent strongly approve, while 43 percent strongly disapprove.
- Likely voters favor incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., over Republican Corey Stewart 48-43 percent.
Virginia's 7th Congressional District has trended away from Republicans, as President Trump won the district by 6.5-point margin in 2016, while Mitt Romney held a double-digit edge in 2012 at 10.5 points.
The RealClear Politics analysis has Virginia-7 as a "toss up."
The Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University poll was conducted Oct. 18-27 among 871 registered voters who have voted in at least two of the past four elections or were new voters to Virginia in 2017.
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