Virginia Republican Gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin appears to have an ace in the hole with his support growing among independent voters, recent polls show.
Youngkin, who faces former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a nationally watched race Tuesday for the state’s governorship, has made up quite a bit of ground since Oct. 8.
According to Wason Center poll Oct. 27, Youngkin has risen from just above 40 percent on Aug. 26 closing to within one point of the Democrat McAuliffe.
The secret sauce in Youngkin’s rise might be his sway with independent and unaffiliated voters who see him as more moderate, according to the poll.
The poll found Youngkin is favored over McAuliffe, 51% to 44% among that voting group, and his support has also increased by about 7% among Republicans.
In a televised interview on Roaring Patriot on Friday, Youngkin said the campaign is not Republicans against Democrats, but Virginians coming together in a “movement.”
As Youngkin rose, McAuliffe slowly declined during the same period, losing only a couple of points, but steadily going down.
The former state executive is also facing headwinds from an underwater Democrat President Joe Biden, who has seen his approval numbers plummet into the low 40s during the late summer and early fall.
National political experts are closely watching the race as Democrats hold just a razor-thin majority in the House and, with the help of two independents in the Senate, are evenly split with Republicans.
