Poll: Biden favorite among Va. voters, but Warren, Sanders and Harris all lead Trump

A survey of Virginia voters released by University of Mary Washington shows four top Democratic presidential candidates with double-digit leads over President Donald Trump:

The survey, conducted Sept. 3–15 for UMW by Research America Inc., found former Vice President Joe Biden had a 55 percent to 37 percent margin over Trump among all respondents. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren had a 53 to 38 percent margin over Trump, as did Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. California Sen. Kamala Harris, the fourth Democratic candidate considered in the Virginia survey, had a 50 percent to 38 percent margin over the president.

The remaining respondents were uncertain or declined to express a favorite in those head-to-head match-ups.

Registered voters in the survey expressed similar preferences. Among the 882 registered voters in the survey, all four candidates retained their double-digit advantages over Trump, including Biden (55 percent to 38 percent), Warren and Sanders (both 52 percent to 39 percent) and Harris (50 percent to 39 percent). These margins were quite similar to the full sample results.

“The latest Mary Washington survey demonstrates that Donald Trump faces an uphill battle in Virginia next year against a range of possible challengers,” Stephen J. Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington and director of its Center for Leadership and Media Studies, said in a statement on Thursday. “While a lot can change in 14 months, these are not encouraging results for Trump and other Republicans who might be on the ballot with him next year.”

The survey, which polled 1,009 adults around the state, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Full top-line results here.

The Virginia Mercury is a new, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization covering Virginia government and policy.

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