Trump closes in on Biden in Virginia: poll

Former President Donald Trump appears to be within striking distance of President Joe Biden in the Old Dominion, a recent survey has revealed.

Virginia has not backed a Republican for president since supporting George W. Bush in 2004.

In a recent survey from the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research (IPOR) at Roanoke College, Biden led Trump 47% to 43% percent in a hypothetical 2024 matchup. Notably, the survey's margin of error was +/- 4.62%, meaning the race is a statistical tie. The survey questioned 703 adult Virginia residents between Feb. 11-19.

Virginia's Republican primary is slated for next Tuesday. Among likely voters, 51% indicated they would support Trump compared to 43% who preferred former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Despite a string of electoral defeats over the past 20 years, Republicans have renewed their efforts in Virginia in light of GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin's surprise win in 2021.

"Partisanship continues to shape Virginians’ views on national politics and, to a lesser degree, state politics. Governor Youngkin’s job approval among Republicans remains high, but his approval among Democrats has increased almost 10 points since November," IPOR Director David Taylor said. "We also found that both Democrats and Republicans agree that the commonwealth is generally heading in the right direction. Nationally, though, about 40% of Democrats and just about 10% of Republicans say the country is heading in the right direction."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.