Last Updated on January 1, 2020
According to a new poll of 625 registered Virginia voters, former Vice President Joe Biden is the only Democrat hopeful outperforming President Donald Trump in the Old Dominion, and not by much.
The poll, conducted by Mason Dixon Polling & Strategy, pitted the President against four Democrats seen as the party’s most formidable front runners: US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and of course former Vice President Joe Biden.Â
According to the polling data, President Trump is leading Warren 48-44, Sanders 51-45, and Buttigieg 47-45. While Trump trails Biden 49-45, it would seem the President has gained extremely significant ground, as previous polls have reflected as much as a double-digit deficit for Trump when the two candidates are presented head to head.
The Mason Dixon poll carries with it a 4% margin of error, which when factored in, makes any one of these potential 2020 competitions a complete toss-up in a state recently considered a shoo-in for virtually any Democrat nominee.Â
In addition to being conducted in the midst of unpopular, highly partisan impeachment hearings on Capitol Hill, the poll’s results may have also been influenced by current events taking place in Virginia.
As has been widely reported, with Democrats preparing to take full control of the state legislature later this month, bringing with them promises of New York-style gun control and confiscation bills, Virginians of all stripes have responded.
So far, over 100 municipalities have declared themselves 2nd Amendment sanctuaries, vowing not to cooperate with or enforce unconstitutional gun laws.Â
The sanctuary movement, which has been described as a “2nd Amendment tsunami,” seems to have mobilized a seismic grassroots coalition statewide, and at this point, is sure to impact the results of the 2020 election as Democrats continue to wear the anti-gun label with pride.
Although Virginia doesn’t register voters by party, 42% of the poll’s respondents self-identified as Democrats, while only 30% identified as Republicans. The remainder called themselves independents.
The results show a sizeable swing in favor of President Trump on the part of these independent voters, exposing massive cracks in the foundation of what many in politics have considered a solidly blue state in recent years.
As political tensions in Virginia continue to rise, coinciding with the 2020 campaign season, the question remains: Will Democrats’ attacks on the 2nd Amendment flip Virginia red?
