Virginia voters overwhelmingly say Confederate statues should stay up, putting them more in line with Republican candidate Ed Gillespie in Tuesday’s gubernatorial race, according to the Fox News Voter Analysis.
The analysis – a new polling technique Fox News is testing to improve coverage – is taking the pulse of voters in Virginia and New Jersey. The early numbers show 63 percent in Virginia say the Confederate monuments should stay up, while 38 percent say they should be taken down.
Gillespie has said it’s up to local jurisdictions to decide how to handle the controversial statues, while Democratic nominee Ralph Northam initially said they should be taken down, before easing off that position.
The voter analysis may show voters more in line with Northam on immigration, another big issue in Tuesday’s race. According to the analysis, 57 percent say immigrants do more to help the U.S. than hurt it.
Meanwhile, the analysis show most voters think the state of the Virginia economy is excellent or good – despite President Trump tweeting Tuesday morning that the economy has been terrible under Democratic control. Despite that optimism, the economy is still a top priority, along with health care.
The voter analysis also reflects some fatigue over this cycle’s tough campaign ads.
Forty-nine percent say Northam has attacked Gillespie unfairly, while an even higher 60 percent say Gillespie attacked Northam unfairly.
The Fox News Voter Analysis is based on a survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago with Virginia/New Jersey registered voters. The poll featured interviews from a probability sample drawn from a registered voter list and interviews from a non-probability sample, and includes both voters and non-voters for enhanced analytical purposes. The data collection was multi-mode (landline, cellphone, and online).
