Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin more popular than Biden in 'purple state'

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin may not be in national news as often as other Republican state governors, but a new poll shows he has quietly overtaken President Joe Biden in his state.

The survey, conducted by the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College, found Youngkin’s approval rating rose to 53% among Virginia residents polled in May – up from 50% in February.

“No surprise, but very few people are happy with government these days,” said Dr. David Taylor, director of IPOR.

But he added: “Here in Virginia, though, just about five months into his term as governor, Glenn Youngkin’s approval ratings have improved, most notably among Democrats, and many more Virginians feel that the Commonwealth is going in the right direction compared to the country.”

When broken down by party, the poll found that approval among his own party is down (75% now versus 84% in February) and up among Democrats (29% now compared to 20% in February).

His disapproval rating improved significantly, down to 35% from 41% in February.

50% of Virginians now say the country is going the right direction, a sizeable improvement from the 21% who said the same in February.

The same Virginians gave Biden a dismal 37% approval rating, down from 41% in February.

The survey found more unity among Democrats and Republicans regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine. Democrats (54%) are more optimistic that sanctions on Moscow will work than Republicans (30%), but both sides agreed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was a war criminal (86% of Republicans, 90% of Democrats).

The 2021 Virginia gov. race was watched closely by those interested in former President Donald Trump’s influence after leaving office. In 2020, Biden beat Trump in Virginia by 10 points but the Republican Youngkin managed to defeat Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe just one year later.