New Roanoke College Poll: Democratic Presidential Candidates All Lead Trump in Virginia

See below for highlights from a new poll of Virginia by Roanoke College (a B/C-graded polling outfit by FiveThirtyEight.com).

• “In possible November election matchups, each of the Democratic candidates leads President Donald Trump in Virginia”- Bernie Sanders by 9 points (49%-40%), Joe Biden by 8 points (48%-40%), Elizabeth Warren by 7 points (48%-41%), Pete Buttigieg by 7 points (47%-40%), Amy Klobuchar by 7 points (46%-39%) and Michael Bloomberg by 6 points (46%-40%).
• “Although each of the Democratic candidates named in the poll holds a lead over Trump of between 6 and 9 percentage points, the better-known candidates are even or ‘underwater’ in terms of favorable/unfavorable ratings. Only Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar have a higher percentage of favorable than unfavorable ratings, but for both the plurality of respondents were unable to give them a rating.”
• “A majority of Virginians (52%) disapprove of the way President Trump is handling his job, while just over one-third (36%) approve” and “Trump was viewed favorably by 32% of respondents while 54% viewed him unfavorably.”
• “Approval for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam was up to 40 percent, but disapproval stands at 41 percent, which is higher than immediately after the governor’s ‘blackface’ scandal broke.”
• ” Four-in-10 (41%) respondents approve of the way the General Assembly is doing its job, while 38 percent disapprove.”
• “Just less than half (49%) of respondents think that Virginia is headed in the right direction while 44 percent think it is on the wrong track.”
• “‘Vexit,’ the possible secession/annexation of several Virginia counties into neighboring West Virginia was supported by 20 percent of respondents but opposed by 62 percent.”
• “A plurality said it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns (48%) than to control gun ownership (41%). A majority said that a gun in the possession of a law-abiding citizen is more likely to be used in self-defense (63%) than in an accidental shooting (24%). A plurality of those responding (34%) thought that stricter gun laws would make them safer, while 25 percent said stricter laws would make them less safe. “