Rasmussen has its first post-primary poll, and it has Creigh Deeds in front. Compared to April’s Rasmussen poll, that’s quite a shift, but April might as well be 2007 at this point.
The interesting part about this poll is not just that Deeds solidified the Dems (which is to be expected), but that he managed to knock McDonnell’s numbers down a bit. That means he either flipped some of them or (more likely) moved them to the undecided column. Rasmussen notes that only 78% of Republicans are backing McDonnell (April’s numbers have no party breakdown). This is probably why McDonnell is trailing despite being preferred by independents (he leads Deeds by 7 points among that group).
This tells me that Virginians (especially right-of-center Virginians) still see the 2005 Deeds (the largely unknown State Senator who won the NRA endorsement) rather than the 2009 Deeds (one of the biggest tax-hikers in Richmond who has since told the NRA to stuff it – Bearing Drift).
Lest we forget, Creigh Deeds does not get this nomination without the Washington Post, and he doesn’t get the Post endorsement without establishing himself to Moran and T-Mac’s left on taxes and spending.
Deeds the “moderate” is a mirage. Once voters see the real Creigh Deeds, his newfound lead should disappear quickly.
[...] go into detail on Rasmussen’s poll here, but suffice to say, it’s pretty clear that Virginians don’t have the full, clear [...]
[...] takes the lead The right-wing liberal Lest we forget, Creigh Deeds does not get this nomination without the Washington Post, and he [...]