Internal poll shows tight race in Virginia House race

Virginia Democrat Cameron Webb has a narrow lead over Republican Bob Good in the state’s 5th Congressional District, according to an internal poll released Friday by Webb’s campaign.

In the poll, which was obtained exclusively by The Hill, 45 percent of likely voters said they would back Webb while 42 percent said they would vote for Good. The survey marks an improvement for Webb after the same poll in August showed him behind by 2 points.

The results are split along partisan lines, but Webb has been able to win over 11 percent of Republican likely voters, while Good gets the support of 5 percent of likely Democratic voters. Webb has a 42 percent to 19 percent lead among independents, though another 39 percent are undecided.

Both candidates are only moderately well-known, with 65 percent of voters saying they’ve heard of Webb and 68 percent saying the same of Good.

“Voters across Virginia’s 5th District are sick of the same old partisan, Washington politics, which is why they’re responding to our message of putting people over party,” said Webb. “Our message of working for consensus and ensuring opportunities for health and success for everyone is resonating with voters. I look forward to continuing to reach out to voters all across the district in the remaining 25 days.”

Democrats are betting that Webb, a medical doctor who works with coronavirus patients, can make gains in the district after Good, a former Liberty University staffer, unseated Rep. Denver Riggleman (R) at the GOP convention after Riggleman officiated a same-sex wedding.

The party sees the district moving in its direction after Republican Tom Garrett won there by about 16 points in 2016, but Riggleman won his first term in 2018 by just over 6 points. 

The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, rates the race in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District as a “toss up.”

The internal poll, conducted by Global Strategy Group, surveyed 500 likely voters from Sept. 27-Oct. 1 and has a margin of error of 4.4 percent.