Boucher's length of service may be one reason he's holding an early lead over Griffith. And Roanoke College Political Science Professor Heath Brown says Boucher has also staked out different territory than 5th District Democrat Tom Perriello, who trails his Republican challenger Robert Hurt by more than 20 points. Boucher voted against health care reform, for example.
Brown says Boucher also has a diverse coalition of support, "including the National Rifle Association, who notably came out in support of him in the winter, but also his support from women's groups pretty consistently over the last number of years." "The groups that women might look to to make their decisions have come out consistently in support of Congressman Boucher," Brown told News7.
Among men the 9th District contest is tied, but among women, SurveyUSA says, Boucher holds a lead of 25 percentage points over Griffith.
Boucher will soon be spending more time in the district, and Griffith will be ramping up his opposition. Brown says the gap between these two candidates should begin to narrow as we head into September and October.
Here is a look at the poll results:
Asked of 579 Likely Voters
Margin of Sampling Error for this question = ± 4.2%
|
39% |
Morgan Griffith (R) |
|
52% |
Rick Boucher (D) |
|
5% |
Jeremiah Heaton (I) |
|
5% |
Undecided |
