The three GOP candidates vying to take on Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine this fall are largely unknown — even among Republicans — heading into what could be an up-for-grabs primary contest on June 12th, according to a Roanoke College poll released Tuesday.
Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart led the way in name ID among the three candidates, but even still was viewed favorably by 17 percent of Republicans, compared to 7 percent who had an unfavorable view, according to the survey.
Meanwhile, more than nine in 10 Republicans didn’t have an opinion about state Del. Nick Freitas (7 percent favorable/2 percent unfavorable) or E.W. Jackson (6 percent favorable/2 percent unfavorable).
“The beginning of summer is not the time that most folks tune into politics,” said Harry Wilson, director of the Roanoke College Poll. “The three Republicans in an important, but not ’newsy,’ race are mostly unknown, even among Republicans. Handicapping that election today (a feat we did not attempt) would be fraught with error.”
Mr. Kaine, who is seeking re-election after first getting elected to the Senate in 2012, had the edge in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups against all three GOP candidates, though about a quarter of those surveyed were still undecided in each case.
He held identical 15-point, 45 percent to 30 percent leads against Mr. Freitas and Mr. Jackson, and an 11-point, 44 percent to 33 percent over Mr. Stewart.
Mr. Stewart came within about a percentage point of winning the 2017 GOP nomination for governor against Ed Gillespie, who went on to lose to current Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam in November.
He had served as President Trump’s Virginia campaign chairman in 2016, but was fired after participating in a protest outside of Republican National Committee headquarters in a move he says proved his loyalty to the president.
Mr. Freitas, a state delegate from Culpeper, attracted attention for a speech on gun rights he delivered on the state House of Delegates floor earlier this year, and has won endorsements from national conservatives like Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee.
Mr. Jackson, a minister from southeastern Virginia, was the GOP’s 2013 nominee for lieutenant governor.
The survey of 555 registered voters in Virginia was conducted from May 20-30 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percent for the full sample.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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