A new poll from Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Public Policy shows a large name recognition advantage for Rep. Abigail Spanberger over Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney in the 2025 gubernatorial Democratic primary.
Spanberger leads Stoney 52% to 8% among Democrats, with 40% of respondents undecided.
Looking at favorables for both candidates, Spanberger received 43% favorable and 4% unfavorable, with 53% saying they have no opinion or do not know her.
Stoney received 10% favorable and 8% unfavorable, with 82% saying they have no opinion or do not know him.
“This is a very early poll in a race that’s quite a ways away,” said Dr. Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, the Wason Center’s research director. “So when you poll on things like this early on, really what you’re mostly capturing is name recognition or how well the voters even know who you are. It’s pretty clear at this point, based on our survey results, that Congresswoman Spanberger is more well-known among the Virginia Democrats.”
For comparison purposes, Terry McAuliffe received support from 26% of respondents in 2021 in this same yearly poll. However, that was one year closer to election day, and more candidates were in the Democratic primary that year.
Bromley-Trujillo says these results match the latest fundraising numbers reported by both candidates for the final quarter of 2023.
“And I’d also say these results mirror the candidate’s fundraising totals. Recent numbers have come out showing Rep. Spanberger out fundraising Stoney by nearly $3 million.”
In total, excluding in-kind donations, Spanberger raised $3,365,950 and Stoney raised $726,439.
37% of Stoney’s cash raised for his gubernatorial campaign was transferred from his Better Way PAC. 33% of Spanberger’s cash raised for her gubernatorial campaign was transferred from her congressional account.
Other findings from the poll:
- 50% of Virginians approve of the job Gov. Glenn Youngkin is doing compared to 36% approval for President Biden.
- A plurality of Virginians say the state is headed in the right direction (43% right, 11% mixed, 37% wrong), but are pessimistic about the direction of the country (20% right, 5% mixed, 71% wrong).
- Virginians overall say the following should be top priorities for the governor and General Assembly: improving K-12 education (74%), reducing crime (62%), and reducing health care costs (59%).
- Virginia likely voters support allowing the retail sale of recreational marijuana (57%), increasing the state’s minimum wage to $15 by 2026 (68%), and a proposal to spend $448 million towards childcare initiatives in the state (79%).
- A majority of Virginians support amending the state’s constitution to guarantee abortion rights in the state (62%) and to allow felons that have completed their prison sentence to have their voting rights automatically restored upon release (66%).
- Half of Virginians support tax cuts for corporations and individuals (50% to 43%; 6% don’t know), though support drops if there were to be a recession in 2024 that would reduce revenues (44% support to 47% oppose), and even further if those cuts would result in funding reductions for government services (29% support to 66% oppose). A strong majority support repealing the Virginia car tax (67%).
- On gun policy, a majority of Virginians support banning assault-style weapons (56%); large majorities favor establishing criminal penalties for gun owners if their firearms are used by minors in a crime (81%) and requiring gun owners to lock up their firearms and ammunition if there are children in the home (87%). A slim majority support allowing concealed carry in more places (51%), while a majority oppose allowing teachers to carry guns in K-12 schools (56%).
