VIRGINIA, USA — The November elections are less than 30 days away, and according to a new poll from Christopher Newport University's Wason Center for Civic Leadership, vice president and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris leads Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump in Virginia.
The poll reveals that Harris is leading Trump by 11 percentage points, 52% to 41% among Virginia likely voters. 4% of voters remain undecided, while 3% say they will vote for someone else, according to the survey.
"A trend that we've been seeing over the last several years is that voters with college degrees have shifted pretty heavily to the Democrats, and voters without college degrees have shifted pretty heavily to the Republican party," said Wason Center Research Director Dr. Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo.
The poll reveals that Harris' lead over Trump is due to her base: women, Independents, Black voters and college-educated voters. Meanwhile, according to the survey, Trump has received 94% of support from Republican voters, with a very narrow lead among white voters.
"I tend to vote for anyone who's going to give a human the most rights," said voter Derek Smith, who plans to cast his ballot in November.
Meanwhile, Andrea Phelps, who also plans to vote, worries about other issues.
"I'm particularly interested in reproductive freedoms for women," she said. "I'm also concerned with national security and protecting our democracy."
Moreover, the survey highlights Harris's 1% lead over Trump concerning inflation and the economy, an issue that's at the top of voters' minds.
"I'm definitely on the younger side of the voting ballot. I'm 22, so I want to be able to purchase a home and be able to have a forever home," said registered voter Helen Peluso.
Bromley-Trujillo believes Harris could win Virginia if she continues to push for a healthier economy.
"It seems that at least in Virginia, the messaging around the economy is at least working for Harris and around the middle class, and that's an issue that voters seem to care about at least in Virginia," Bromley-Trujillo said. "[As] for Donald Trump, where he's showing some signs of strength is on the issue of immigration. I fully expect for him to push that issue."
While Harris leads Trump by a significant margin in Virginia according to this poll, nationally Harris just slightly leads Trump in the polls.