The would-be marquee U.S. Senate match-up of 2012 is a dead heat 18 months out from election day, with two former Virginia governors, Democrat Tim Kaine barely ahead of Republican George Allen 43 percent to 42 percent, a statistical tie, according to a poll released Thursday.
Not surprisingly, Kaine has the overwhelming support of Democrats and Allen of Republicans. Allen, though, leads among ever-coveted independent voters with 46 percent to Kaine’s 38 percent, according to the poll from Quinnipiac University. Both men are running to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va.
“Perhaps the only surprising thing about these numbers, given the expectation of a ‘to the finish’ tussle for the Senate, is that one in 10 Virginia voters remains undecided. Those are the folks who will decide the identity of Virginia’s next U.S. senator,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
“In these kinds of races, independent voters are the key,” he said.
From June 21 – 27, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,434 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points.
