Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump by 3 percentage points in the first public poll taken in Virginia since she replaced Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee.
A poll in May by Roanoke College found Biden and Trump tied in a head-to-head matchup, while Biden had held a 2-point lead in a multicandidate field. Several subsequent polls by other organizations also showed the race tied in Virginia.
The most recent poll by Roanoke College gives Harris a 3-point lead in both scenarios, although that is with the poll’s 4.5% margin of error.
In a head-to-head contest, Harris polled 47% to 44% for Trump.
When four other potential candidates were added, Harris polled 45% to 42% for Trump, with 6% for independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 2% each for Libertarian Chase Oliver and independent Cornel West, and 0% for Green Party nominee Jill Stein.
Meanwhile, the poll found that Tim Kaine, the Democratic incumbent, holds a lead of 49% to 38% over Republican nominee Hung Cao in the U.S. Senate race. That figure is in line with other recent polls.
The State Board of Elections won’t announce until early September which third-party candidates have qualified for the Virginia ballot. Early voting begins Sept. 20.
The Roanoke College poll also found that Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s approval rating has risen to 59%, the highest he’s reached since he’s been in office. In May, it was 52%.
A copy of the questions and all toplines may be found here.