Collegiate Times

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Senators John McCain and Barack Obama are near neck-and-neck in Virginia, according to a recent poll.

The poll, conducted by Public Policy Polling, indicates that Obama leads 47-45, a 2 percent margin that he has maintained for the past three months. This poll was taken from Aug. 20 to 22, with a 3 percent margin of error.

"Polls like this were conducted not only in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida, but also in Republican states that might vote Democratic this election," said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling.

Debnam said that the election could eventually come down to Virginia and Colorado.

Public Policy Polling is ranked "balanced" by the poll analyst FiveThirtyEight.com. The poll also serves as one of the surveys used by renowned poll analyst RealClearPolitics.com in its average of Virginia polls. The candidates were tied in the RCP combined poll at 46 percent apiece.

"Media polls are usually done on a national level, sometimes on the state level, but after 2000, everybody in the news media realized, 'Oh yeah, the electoral college does matter,' and it really does matter," said Virginia Tech political science professor Craig L. Brians. "Elections are won in individual states."

Clark Stevens, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, cited the elections of subsequent Democratic governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, and Democratic Sen. Jim Webb as signs of change in Virginia's voting preferences. He added that Obama's campaign has opened 37 offices in Virginia.

"Voters in Virginia are looking for change, and more and more are seeing it in Sen. Obama," Stevens said.

Stevens added that Obama's running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden, should help influence Virginians with his significant experience in the senate.

Dale Dye, a Montgomery County spokesman for McCain, believes that the historical Republican connection to the commonwealth could play an important role in this year's election.

"Virginia has its roots in conservative stances, particularly in places like Montgomery County," Dye said. "Sen. McCain's choice of Gov. Palin as a running mate will appeal to social conservatives."

Brians noted that despite recent Democratic gains in the governor's mansion and at the national level, the state legislature is still largely Republican.

He also added that it is very hard to tell how a running mate will affect the election.

The top issue polled was the economy. Virginia currently has 4.4 percent unemployment, a five-year high.

"The president's ability to improve the economy is little at best," Brians said, "but at best they can influence people to make them feel better about the economy."

The second top issue polled was the war in Iraq.

Stevens called the war "failed, and the country is looking for a new direction." Dye cited the lower levels of violence and insurgent activity as proof of the troop surge working.

"Sen. McCain has said the administration's policy on Iraq is where he is most like President Bush," Brians said.

Both local party headquarters saw the Tech community as politically diverse and active, and each was surprised by the amount of support for the candidates by Hokies.

No surprise, registration drives have sprouted on campus and both local party headquarters have had plenty of registration forms on hand.

"The important thing this election is, regardless of political stance, for people to get involved and informed about their candidate," Dye said. "It's really about civic duty."