News from the South - Virginia News Feed

New poll shows Spanberger with 17-point lead over Earle-Sears

Published

3 weeks ago

May 22, 2025

virginiamercury.com – Charlotte Rene Woods – 2025-05-22 13:33:00

by Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury
May 22, 2025

Former congresswoman and Democratic nominee for governor Abigail Spanberger fared better with voters than current lieutenant governor and Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, according to a Roanoke College poll released Thursday showing Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 43%-26%. This follows another poll published this week showing Spanberger with a 4-point lead over Earle-Sears.

The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College interviewed 658 Virginia residents between May 12 and May 19 to determine that Spanberger leads Earle-Sears by 17 percentage points. Meanwhile, another new poll commissioned by business organization Virginia FREE conducted between May 9 and May 13 shows independent voters favoring Spanberger by 53%-47%. That poll included 1,000 participants. The Roanoke College poll’s margin of error is 5.25%.

While the sample sizes of the polls is much smaller than the number of people who are likely to participate in November’s statewide election, polls conducted sporadically leading up to elections can point to partisan tides.

The Roanoke College poll also explored key issues that could affect both campaigns such as the national deficit and debt, political anxiety and the job approval of the current president and governor.

More than half of polled voters, 51%, think “ things in Virginia have gotten off on the wrong track,” while 66% held the same sentiment about the country as a whole. Voters also had mixed feelings about leadership in the state and country, with Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s job approval rating coming in at 46%, which Roanoke College noted as “his lowest and down seven points since November.” President Donald Trump’s job approval rating, 31%, was low but not his lowest.

Participants also weighed in with their approval and disapproval of Youngkin’s successor. Spanberger rated 41% favorable/40% unfavorable, similar to how polled voters rated her last November, while Earle-Sears’ favorability dropped from her previous rating and stands at 32% favorable/48% unfavorable. About one-fifth of respondents did not offer opinions on either candidates’ favorability.

The voter anxiety index from the Roanoke poll is 89.41, and reflects big shifts in how Virginians in both parties perceive the current state of government. Democratic voters’ anxiety skyrocketed from -10.39 in May 2024 to 101.77 last November, with a current anxiety index of 153.35. Meanwhile, Republican voters’ anxiety index decreased last year, from 166.59 in May to 13.52 in November 2024, and now stands at -30.10. These figures reflect that political anxiety correlates closely with partisan control of the White House and Congress.

With Virginia’s gubernatorial election falling the year after a presidential election, the past two decades have shown that voters typically elect a governor who is the opposite party of the one who won the White House the year prior.

On national debt perceptions, a large majority of Virginians, 42%, are very concerned, while 40% said they are somewhat concerned. When it comes to the cause of the national deficit, a majority, 61%, thinks it is a result of spending too much, while 34% think it’s from not raising enough money through taxes.

When asked how to address the deficit, 74% of respondents favor raising taxes for people earning more than $400,000 annually, while 82% oppose across-the-board tax raises for everyone. Seventy-one percent of respondents oppose wholesale spending cuts.

“Six months in a gubernatorial election season is an eternity in politics, but one would prefer to be ahead by 17 points,” said Dr. Harry Wilson, interim director for IPOR and professor emeritus of political science at Roanoke College.

He added that more than a quarter of Virginians are still undecided voters — which could be good news for both candidates.

“Spanberger is obviously leading at this point, and she leads among independents, but a large number of Republicans are undecided, and they will most likely end up voting for Earle-Sears,” Wilson said. “The favorable rating for Earle-Sears, however, should be cause for concern.”

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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.

The post New poll shows Spanberger with 17-point lead over Earle-Sears appeared first on virginiamercury.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article primarily reports on recent polling data about Virginia’s gubernatorial race between Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Winsome Earle-Sears. While the coverage is largely factual and cites multiple polls, the emphasis on Spanberger’s lead and detailed explanation of Republican candidate Earle-Sears’ declining favorability suggest a subtle positive framing toward the Democrat. The article also highlights voter concerns about taxes, favoring tax increases on higher earners, a stance more aligned with center-left policy preferences. Overall, the tone remains mostly neutral but leans slightly toward the Democratic perspective by choice of details and framing.

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News from the South - Virginia News Feed

WR Noah Brown carted off practice field, safety Jeremy Reaves signs extension | NBC4 Washington

Published

1 day ago

June 11, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – NBC4 Washington – 2025-06-11 19:42:19

SUMMARY: At day two of the Commanders’ mandatory minicamp, wide receiver Noah Brown was carted off the field with a concerning injury, while star safety Jeremy Reaves signed a one-year contract extension, securing his spot for at least two more years. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore expressed optimism after recovering from a hamstring injury that impacted last season. Meanwhile, veteran receiver Terry McLaurin remains absent amid contract negotiations, but insiders remain confident a deal will be reached before training camp. Practice intensity increased, and returning players showed promise for the upcoming season. Fans are encouraged to stay patient as situations develop.

Head coach Dan Quinn talks about safety Jeremy Reaves’ importance to the team, and cornerback Marshon Lattimore discusses his injury recovery and this year’s comeback. Team Insider JP Finlay reports.
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News from the South - Virginia News Feed

One Good Thing: fun run for Dolly Parton Imagination Library

Published

2 days ago

June 11, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – 12 On Your Side – 2025-06-11 06:16:19

SUMMARY: More than 1,500 books were donated to local children thanks to the third annual Bright Futures Fun Run, organized by Northern Neck Electric Cooperative. This fundraising event benefits the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which provides free books to children from birth to age five. The program aims to encourage early childhood literacy by ensuring kids have access to books at home. Each year, the Bright Futures Fun Run raises funds to support this cause, promoting reading and learning opportunities for young children in the community.

One Good Thing: fun run for Dolly Parton Imagination Library

For more Local News from WWBT: https://www.12onyourside.com/

For more YouTube Content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh-MRi3cyDN0DO1AvvVYFlg

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News from the South - Virginia News Feed

Study shows historically redlined Virginia neighborhoods are hotter in the summer

Published

2 days ago

June 11, 2025

Staff Editor

virginiamercury.com – Shannon Heckt – 2025-06-11 04:29:00

by Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury
June 11, 2025

As hot and humid summer weather settles across Virginia, a recent study finds that certain neighborhoods across the state, often with higher populations of people of color, can be up to 15 degrees hotter than other areas. The research cites extreme heat as the cause of “more fatalities in the United States than any other weather phenomenon.”

“There are differences in all of those municipalities in who is experiencing this heat, and usually it’s the neighborhoods that are least prepared to deal with it, have the poorest kind of infrastructure setup, such as air conditioning units and cooling centers,” said Dr. Todd Lookingbill, a professor of geology, environment and sustainability at the University of Richmond.

On a hot summer day in July 2021, over 200 volunteers with the study collected air temperature data in Arlington, Richmond, Lynchburg, Harrisonburg, Virginia Beach, Winchester, Farmville, Petersburg, Salem, and Abingdon. The areas of these towns that were the hottest had low tree cover and expansive concrete spaces that correlated with parts of town that had been historically underinvested, in part due to redlining practices.

These maps of afternoon temperatures in The Virginia localities in the study were “standardized to +/− 2 standard deviations from the mean temperature for each locality to allow visualization of intra-locality spatial patterning,” researchers wrote. (Todd R. Lookingbill/Virginia Heat Watch study)

In some of the cities that did not have large populations of people of color, other factors such as unemployment and education were common indicators in the areas that were found to be the hottest.

The Virginia Heat Watch initiative included researchers from 12 universities and colleges from all reaches of the state. The volunteers collected hundreds of thousands of temperature readings in one day.

The study also found that the hot spot neighborhoods often have high populations of people with health vulnerabilities that make high heat a major risk factor. Exposure can lead to feedback loops of poor health and an inability to work.

“One of the things that’s really interesting in that regard is bus stops. In these kinds of areas, people tend to take more public transportation,” Lookingbill said. “We found that a lot of those bus stops are areas that are uncovered and don’t have a lot of tree cover or artificial bus stop cover.”

Some of the cities are taking proactive steps to make tree cover and other cooling techniques a priority in their city planning. Richmond has ideas for the expansion of green space and incentives for developers to keep or plant trees in the Richmond 300 master plan.

Research shows heat exposure disproportionately affects Black Richmonders

The Virginia Department of Forestry helped fund this study as part of their outreach to communities about their tree canopy mapping service. Communities can apply for grants to have the maps made, which will often line up with the hotspot data from the study.

“If we can get the word out that these programs exist, you know, local people who are aware of the issues that they face, they can reach out to us and have us come and assist. There are programs out there. We would just like people who need them to participate in them,” said Molly O’Liddy, Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator with the Virginia Department of Forestry.

O’Liddy said that the department is focused on not just urban areas in the largest cities. They also want to reach the smaller communities to show them where green space can help cool things down in parking lots, on sidewalks, or other areas of town.

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The post Study shows historically redlined Virginia neighborhoods are hotter in the summer appeared first on virginiamercury.com

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article presents research highlighting environmental and racial disparities related to heat vulnerability, emphasizing historically underinvested neighborhoods and systemic issues like redlining. The tone and framing align with concerns typically emphasized by center-left perspectives, focusing on social equity, climate impact, and community health. It reports facts supported by scientific studies without overt partisan rhetoric but advocates for increased awareness and local government action on environmental justice and urban planning, which are common priorities in progressive or center-left discourse. The coverage is balanced in presentation but leans toward emphasizing structural inequalities and solutions.