The Roanoke College Poll: Biden holds lead over Trump in Virginia

SALEM, Va., Aug. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by 14 percentage points (53%-39%) in Virginia according to The Roanoke College Poll.

Almost 90% of those who support either candidate are very certain of their vote intention. Only 5% said they were undecided about their vote and 3% percent said they would vote for another candidate. More than 9 out of 10 (94%) said they care a great deal who wins the presidential election in November and 97% said it was very likely they would vote.

A majority of Virginians (58%) disapprove of the way President Trump is handling his job, while just over one-third (37%) approve. That 37% figure is the second-highest approval rating for Trump in the Roanoke College Poll since he took office, and the 58% ties his highest disapproval.

Trump's favorable/unfavorable rating is 37%/55% while Biden is at 51%/38%. Trump's numbers are fairly consistent, but Biden's favorable rating is up 15 points since May, while his unfavorable declined by 1%.

More than three-fourths (79%) of respondents think the country is on the wrong track (a Roanoke College Poll record), while only 16% think it is headed in the right direction.

On the issues, Trump is slightly favored to do a better job on the economy (50-46%), but trails Biden badly on handling race relations (64%-29%), protests and civil unrest (58%-36%), and on COVID-19 (56%-38%). Likely voters see the economy as the most important issue in the election (26%) ahead of COVID-19 (13%) with a host of other concerns registering under 10%.

"Biden maintains his lead over Trump, but his favorable/unfavorable splits improved from May," said Dr. Harry Wilson, director of the Roanoke College Poll. "For Biden to improve his favorable rating by 15% while keeping unfavorable steady is an achievement in a political campaign. He may have benefited from the Democratic Convention, and the 'basement' campaign may be working. Trump's hopes in Virginia rest on his ability to drive turnout in his base."

The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research interviewed 566 likely Virginia voters between August 9 and August 22 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.1%. Full results and methodology are available at: https://bit.ly/3loGtIG

SOURCE Roanoke College