McAuliffe Leads in Poll

A DailyKos/Research 2000 poll on the governor's race today shows that Terry McAuliffe leads opponents Brian Moran and Creigh Deeds among likely voters in the Democratic primary.

The former chairman of the Democratic National Committee had 36 percent compared to 22 percent for Moran and 13 percent for Deeds.

McAuliffe showed a huge gain, while Moran and Deeds remained virtually steady, since the last poll was conducted. In early April, the same poll showed that Moran was ahead of the other two among likely voters.

"While the only poll that matters is on June 9th, it's encouraging to see that Virginians are looking for a governor with the right experience to create jobs and get our economy back on track,'' said Lis Smith, McAuliffe's spokeswoman. "With 19 days left and a still large number of undecided voters across Virginia, Terry will continue to communicate his vision for turning the economy around and work to bring more people into the political process."

The poll found that all three Democrats would lose to Republican Robert F. McDonnell in a general election. Moran would perform the best against McDonnell, though McAuliffe is a close second.

Wondering why this is one of the few polls you've read here or in The Washington Post? Read this.