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President Donald Trump is leading Joe Biden in the traditionally blue state of Virginia, according to a new poll.
The Virginia Commonwealth University-Wilder School poll taken June 24 to July 3 found Trump leading by three points.
Biden previously led with 42 percent in the poll in January, dropping to 36 percent in the most recent survey. Trump’s support remained unchanged in the state, standing at 39 percent in the poll.
Biden’s approval rating ranked at just 36 percent in the poll, with 58 percent disapproval. A rising cost of living stood out as the top issue, along with abortion and immigration.
A noted change was observed in Black support in Virginia. Biden’s support among Black voters in the state dropped from 67 percent to 46 percent.
Virginia has not been considered a red state in recent presidential elections. In 2021, however, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin won in a strong battle that followed controversies surrounding parental rights, especially in Loudoun County.
In the same election, Republican Winsome Earle-Sears won the state’s battle for Lieutenant Governor. Republican Jason Miyares was elected as the state’s Attorney General.
The Washington Post noted that the poll was conducted between June 24 and July 3, including some results following the first presidential debate. The results also include a 4.8-point margin of error, indicating a statistical tie in the survey taken before the recent assassination attempt against Trump.
Youngkin has argued that his state will be a battleground in November that Trump can win.
“I think Virginia is in play. Let’s just remind ourselves – Joe Biden won Virginia by 10 points in 2020. I ended up winning by two the next year. What we’ve demonstrated is commonsense conservative policies work, and Virginians appreciate that,” Youngkin said in a May interview.
The latest Polymarket Election Forecast shows Trump at a new high nationwide potentially winning 72 percent of the vote, including a whopping 312 electoral votes. The forecast predicts Virginia in favor of Biden, though other polls show the state as “leans Democrat” or as a toss-up.
Biden has also been criticized by fellow Democrats who have called for him to step down from the 2024 presidential race. The Biden campaign has vowed the president will continue, setting up a rematch in November of the 2020 presidential election.