Longtime conservative leader, 2014 U.S. Senate nominee and 2017 Republican candidate for governor Ed Gillespie holds a more than three-to-one lead in the Republican primary, according to a new poll from Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Public Policy. The poll shows Gillespie with 33 percent, Frank Wagner with 9 percent, Corey Stewart with 7 percent and Denver Riggleman with 1 percent. Gillespie also has the highest favorable rating of any candidate in the race, either Republican or Democrat. Independent voters view Gillespie favorably by a nearly four to one margin.
Two consecutive polls show Gillespie with a 3-to-1 lead in the GOP primary, following a Mason-Dixon poll in January showing Gillespie beating Ralph Northam and Tom Perriello in a general election matchup.
“Multiple public polls have confirmed that Ed Gillespie is the clear frontrunner in the race to be the Republican nominee and that Ed is the only candidate that can beat liberals Ralph Northam and Tom Perriello in November,” said Campaign Manager Chris Leavitt. “Everywhere we go, Ed lays out a positive vision and talks about his plan to get Virginia growing again. We are running a positive, policy-driven campaign and building an unrivaled ground game. Ed Gillespie is unifying our party and our Commonwealth.”
Background
Head to Head Matchups
Gillespie 33, Wagner 9, Stewart 7, Riggleman 1
Fave/Unfav Ratings
Gillespie 20/10 among all voters, 19/5 among independent voters
Stewart 7/8
Wagner 9/5
Previous Polls
Roanoke College – Gillespie 24, Wagner 8, Stewart 4, Riggleman 1
Mason-Dixon – Gillespie 44, Northam 41 // Gillespie 45, Perriello 36