Harris leads in Virginia, a state Trump is hoping to win back: poll

Vice President Kamala Harris leads former President Donald Trump by 8 percentage points in Virginia, a state Trump's campaign is trying to flip to the Republican Party after losses in 2016 and 2020.

A new Washington Post-Schar School poll released on Tuesday before the two candidates debate in Philadelphia showed Harris leading Trump 50% to 42% in the Old Dominion State, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

The poll highlights Harris' dramatic shift to the top of Virginia's Democratic candidates since her dramatic election as the Democratic nominee to replace President Biden.

FOX News Poll: Harris closes gap with Trump in Sun Belt states

A June Fox News poll showed Biden and Trump in a close race. Biden won Virginia by more than 10 points in 2020. Hillary Clinton won the state by more than 5 points over Trump in 2016, but Trump went on to win the presidential election.

No Republican presidential candidate has won Virginia since former President George W. Bush was re-elected in 2004.

Republicans continue to make gains in the state, with Governor Glenn Youngkin becoming the first Republican elected governor since 2009 in the 2021 elections and further victories in the 2022 midterm elections and out-of-state elections in 2023.

Mark Rozelle, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, said the polls also show that Trump doesn't have a significant lead on any of the issues measured in the survey.

“What's most remarkable is not only the size of Harris' lead, but also that, unlike national polls that show Trump leading on the economy, immigration and crime, Trump is not ahead on any issue,” Rozelle told The Washington Post.

“So President Trump's path to the presidency does not go through Virginia.”

FOX News Poll: New matchup, same result — Trump beats Harris by 1 point

The poll is a welcome boost for Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of Tuesday's ABC News presidential debate, the first between the two candidates. ABC News signage is pictured in the media file center at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment but did not receive a response.

The poll, conducted September 4-8, found that 55% of female Virginia voters said they would vote for Harris, compared with 37% who said they would vote for Trump.

Harris performed well among black voters in Virginia, garnering 73 percent support.

Additionally, 50% of white voters support Trump compared to 43% for Harris. 57% of white voters with a college degree support Harris compared to 36% for Trump. Meanwhile, 64% of white voters without a college degree support Trump compared to 29% for Harris.

Harris received her highest approval ratings near Washington, DC, at 60%, in the northern Virginia suburbs at 56% and in the Richmond region at 55%. Trump's support was strongest in Virginia's more rural central and western parts of the state at 60%. Meanwhile, in eastern Virginia's Tidewater region, Harris led with 49% to Trump's 42%.

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In Virginia, Vice President Kamala Harris is leading former President Donald Trump, 50% to 42%, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll. (Getty Images)

In terms of favorability, 53% of Virginians have an unfavorable view of the former president, while 39% have a favorable view. Harris enjoys pure popularity, with 49% favorable and 42% unfavorable.

The poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,005 registered Virginia voters, with 65% contacted directly via cell phone, 14% contacted by landline phone, and 21% contacted via cell phone text to web message.

Among respondents, 31% considered themselves Democrats and 28% identified as Republicans. Independents made up 30% of respondents.