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Poll: Obama opens seven-point lead in Virginia
President Obama holds a seven-point lead in the crucial swing state of Virginia, despite more than half the voters in the state saying they hold conservative views on issues like taxes and government spending, according to a new poll by Old Dominion University and the Virginian-Pilot.
The president was the choice of 49 percent of those surveyed, versus 42 percent who chose competitor Mitt Romney. Of the remainder, 5 percent said they wouldn't vote for either major party candidate, and 3 percent remained undecided.
The poll's results are a dramatic swing from a poll released by conservative-leaning We Ask America on Tuesday, which found Romney with a 48-43 percent lead. That poll was the first in the month of June that did not show the president either tied with or leading his Republican challenger.
Some 60 percent of Virginians say they want to see the country's economic policies become more conservative than they are today — a good sign for Romney, who has been described by more than seven in 10 Virginians as conservative. With the economy expected to dominate the presidential race, the Republican challenger could make up ground, especially against Obama, who is thought of as liberal by two-thirds of Virginians.
Virginia also has a plurality of self-described social conservatives, with 44 percent of respondents identifying themselves in that way. That's compared to just over a third of respondents describing themselves as socially liberal, and the remainder claiming to be moderate on social issues.
The Republican challenger is looking to covert some of those voters during a two-day campaign swing through the state. After speaking Tuesday in Salem, Va., Romney is holding a rally Wednesday in Washington, D.C.'s Northern Virginia suburbs.
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