Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Date: 4-14-17
A new Public Policy Polling survey of likely Democratic primary voters finds Ralph
Northam with a double digit advantage over Tom Perriello in the race for Governor.
Northam has 42% support, with Perriello at 28%, and 30% of voters are undecided.
-Northam has decided advantages with the key Democratic constituencies of both women
and African Americans. Among women, Northam has a 20 point advantage at 37/17.
With African Americans, he has an even wider 28 point lead at 37/9. Northam is also up
45/21 with seniors, often the most reliable voting group to turn out in a primary election.
Northam is ahead with men and white voters as well.
-Voters (77%) say they are much more concerned with having a candidate who
emphasizes the need to get things done in Richmond than they are with having a
candidate (11%) who emphasizes the need to shake things up in Richmond. This finding
is an outgrowth of the near universal high esteem Governor McAuliffe is held in by
Democratic primary voters- 77% see him positively to just 5% with a negative view.
-93% of Democratic primary voters want to see Virginia raise teacher salaries to the
national average, to only 3% who would be opposed to such a move. Teachers are about
as popular a group as you could ever find with the Democratic base- 83% of primary
voters see them favorably to only 3% who have an unfavorable opinion of them.
Public Policy Polling interviewed 586 likely primary voters on April 13th and 14th. The
surveys margin of error is +/-4.1%. This research was conducted on behalf of the
Virginia Education Association.
Man................................................................. 42%
Gender Gender
Base Wom... Man Base Wom... Man
Northam Favorability Perriello Favorability
Favorable 47% 44% 51% Favorable 44% 34% 57%
Unfavorable 11% 12% 10% Unfavorable 12% 11% 13%
Not sure 42% 44% 39% Not sure 44% 54% 30%
Gender Gender
Base Wom... Man Base Wom... Man
Shake Things Up or Similar Direction As
Get Things Done McAuliffe or Different
More likely to support 11% 11% 11% More likely to support 69% 69% 68%
someone who someone who will
emphasizes the need lead Virginia in a
to shake things up in similar direction as
Richmond Governor McAuliffe
More likely to support 77% 78% 76% More likely to support 15% 9% 24%
someone who someone who will
emphasizes the need lead Virginia in a
to get things done in different direction
Richmond from Governor
McAuliffe
Not sure 12% 12% 12%
Not sure 16% 23% 7%
Gender
Base Wom... Man
Teachers Favorability
Favorable 83% 85% 81%
Unfavorable 3% 3% 5%
Not sure 13% 12% 14%
Race Race
Hispani- African Hispani- African
Base c White Americ... Asian Other Base c White Americ... Asian Other
Northam Favorability Perriello Favorability
Favorable 47% 60% 52% 32% 76% 8% Favorable 44% 42% 53% 15% 76% 8%
Unfavorable 11% 5% 9% 14% - 50% Unfavorable 12% 15% 10% 15% - 51%
Not sure 42% 35% 39% 54% 24% 42% Not sure 44% 43% 37% 69% 24% 41%
Race Race
Hispani- African Hispani- African
Base c White Americ... Asian Other Base c White Americ... Asian Other
Northam / Perriello Northam / Perriello
Lean
Ralph Northam 38% 49% 38% 37% 31% 31%
Ralph Northam 4% - 4% 5% - 1%
Tom Perriello 25% 4% 30% 9% 46% 4%
Tom Perriello 3% 1% 3% - - 48%
Undecided 38% 47% 32% 55% 23% 66%
Completely undecided 30% 47% 25% 49% 23% 17%
N/A 62% 52% 68% 45% 77% 34%
Race Race
Hispani- African Hispani- African
Base c White Americ... Asian Other Base c White Americ... Asian Other
Teachers Favorability Raise Teacher
Salaries
Favorable 83% 96% 86% 75% 100% 40%
Support/Oppose
Unfavorable 3% - 3% 1% - 50% Support raising 93% 84% 92% 96% 100% 91%
Not sure 13% 4% 11% 25% - 10% teachers salaries in
Virginia to the national
average
Oppose raising 3% - 4% - - 7%
teachers salaries in
Virginia to the national
average
Not sure 4% 16% 4% 4% - 2%
Age Age
18 to 40 to 60 or 18 to 40 to 60 or
Base 39 59 older Base 39 59 older
McAuliffe Favorability Northam Favorability
Favorable 77% 63% 76% 84% Favorable 47% 37% 45% 52%
Unfavorable 5% 7% 4% 5% Unfavorable 11% 12% 13% 9%
Not sure 18% 30% 20% 12% Not sure 42% 51% 42% 39%
Age Age
18 to 40 to 60 or 18 to 40 to 60 or
Base 39 59 older Base 39 59 older
Northam / Perriello Shake Things Up or
Lean Get Things Done
Ralph Northam 4% - 6% 4% More likely to support 11% 5% 11% 13%
someone who
Tom Perriello 3% 7% 2% 2%
emphasizes the need
Completely undecided 30% 19% 40% 27% to shake things up in
Richmond
N/A 62% 74% 51% 67%
More likely to support 77% 83% 77% 75%
someone who
emphasizes the need
to get things done in
Richmond
Not sure 12% 12% 11% 12%
Media Market
Age
Base Charlottesvi... Norf... Richmo... Roano... Washingt... Other
18 to 40 to 60 or McAuliffe Favorability
Base 39 59 older Favorable 77% 96% 85% 86% 71% 71% 57%
Unfavorable 5% - 3% 8% 7% 3% 12%
Raise Teacher
Not sure 18% 4% 12% 6% 21% 26% 30%
Salaries
Support/Oppose
Support raising 93% 98% 93% 91%
teachers salaries in
Virginia to the national
average
Oppose raising 3% - 3% 4%
teachers salaries in
Virginia to the national
average
Not sure 4% 2% 4% 5%