Hillary Clinton has opened up a big lead over Donald Trump in Virginia, a longtime Republican-leaning state that’s gone blue the last two presidential elections, according to a poll released Tuesday.
Mrs. Clinton led Mr. Trump by 16 points, 48 percent to 32 percent, with Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson at 8 percent and Green Party nominee Jill Stein at 3 percent, according to the Roanoke College poll of likely voters
Head-to-head, Mrs. Clinton led Mr. Trump by 19 points, 55 percent to 36 percent. The two candidates had been tied in a Roanoke College poll released in May.
Mrs. Clinton now has the support of 91 percent of Democrats, compared to 78 percent in May. Mr. Trump’s support among Republicans, meanwhile, has dipped slightly, from 80 percent to 78 percent.
Mrs. Clinton had a 39 percent/45 percent favorable/unfavorable rating split, while Mr. Trump had a 23 percent/63 percent split.
Population shifts, particularly in Northern Virginia, have helped shape the state’s changing political dynamics.
Mr. Trump had a 38-point, 58 percent to 20 percent, lead in southwest Virginia, but Mrs. Clinton had a 42-point, 61 percent to 19 percent, lead in populous Northern Virginia and a 33-point, 57 percent to 24 percent, lead in the Richmond/central Virginia region.
Mrs. Clinton also had a 2-point, 43 percent to 41 percent, lead among men and a 27-point, 52 percent to 25 percent, lead among women.
Mr. Trump has been in the state several times recently. He held a rally in Fredericksburg over the weekend and an event in Abingdon earlier this month.
But Priorities USA Action, the main pro-Clinton super PAC, signaled recently that Virginia is one of several battleground states where it’s comfortable dialing back spending, at least temporarily, because of Mrs. Clinton’s standing there.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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