Virginia Exit Polls Show Cuccinelli Performing Poorly Against McAuliffe
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Here's the latest Edison Research exit polls on the Virginia gubernatorial elections, courtesy of the New York Times. Cuccinelli still has the lead with just 16% of precincts reporting at 51.8% of all counted votes to McAuliffe's 40.2%. But exit poll numbers look like Republican candidate Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli will be having a rough time against Democrat Terry McAuliffe as more precincts come in:
- 78% of Virginia voters were white in 2009, but this year it's closer to 70%.
- Evangelical Christians are down from approximately 1/3rd to 1/4th of voters.
- More than six in 10 voters have a college education, and the proportion of those with a high school degree or less has fallen from approximately 20% of votes to one in seven.
- Self-described Democrats are now 37% of the vote, compared to 33% self-identified Republicans.
- 54% of female voters back Terry McAuliffe, while just 38% back Ken Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli has a slight lead in men, with a 47%-46% lead. Libertarian Robert Sarvis could be acting as a spoiler for Cuccinellli, picking up 16% of respondents total.
- Terry McAuliffe has 93% of the black vote. (Cuccinelli has just 6%).
- The only age group Cuccinelli is leading in is 65+ ... at 50%. That group is 20% of the vote. McAuliffe leads in 18-29-year-olds (50-30%, 12% of voters), 30-44-year-olds (59-36%, 23% of voters), and 45-64-year-olds (48%-46%, 45% of voters).
- This election is highly partisan, with 96% of Democrats backing McAuliffe and 91% of Republicans backing Cuccinelli.