Mason Dixon Gov Poll Includes Bobby Scott; Richmond Water Crisis Session Photos; Youngkin with Trump at Mar-a-Lago; Henrico NAACP on Richmond Water Crisis
➳ 3 days until the Virginia General Assembly reconvenes on Jan. 13, 2025.
➳ 3 days until Gov. Glenn Youngkin delivers the State of the Commonwealth on Jan. 13, 2025.
➳ 10 days until the Martin Luther King Holiday on Jan. 20, 2025.
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Governor 2025: Poll Includes Bobby Scott, Shows Tight Race
All photos 📸 by Paulette Shipman-Singleton
A poll by Mason Dixon Polling Strategy samples 625 registered voters in Virginia, includes Congressman.
GOVERNOR 2025. A new poll by Mason-Dixon has been released a day after a poll by Emerson College. A key difference: Mason-Dixon added a third name to the competition: Rep. Bobby Scott, who has not officially tossed his hat in the ring. Though Congressman Scott is not a declared candidate, he’s within the margin of error (+/- 4) and 2 points off the lead. The Mason-Dixon poll includes a head-to-head question between Rep. Scott vs. Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and shows Sears slightly ahead 46-44.
The Republican LG officially announced she was running for Governor on Sept. 5, 2024 in Virginia Beach. On the Democratic side, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger formally announced on Nov. 13, 2023. Earle-Sears earned 1.6 million votes in 2021 in her statewide on the ticket with Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
RELATED: How Sweet It Is: Defending the American Dream by Winsome Earle-Sears (2023)
In 2004, Rep. Scott defeated then-Delegate Sears 69 to 31 percent after she unsuccessfully challenged him in the third congressional district. Neither the Emerson poll or the Mason-Dixon poll features a Scott v. Spanberger question. Both Democrats do well in NoVa, Richmond and Hampton Roads as Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears polls well in Southwest and Lynchburg/Southside.
The survey was conducted by Mason Dixon shortly after Punchbowl News reported that Rep. Bobby Scott had not ruled out a run for Governor. The Mason Dixon poll results show a close race easily within the margin of error.
Above: Lt. Governor Winsome Sears presiding over the Virginia Senate on Jan. 8, 2025.
On Jan. 8, Emerson released a poll showing a virtually tied race between Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears and former Rep. Spanberger, with the former Congresswoman up 1 point 42-41. Mason-Dixon shows Spanberger up by 3 points over Earle-Sears with 9% undecided. Typically early polls are a reflection of name recognition and TV ads greatly change the complexion of a statewide race. No one has ads up… yet. Spanberger leads the name recognition question, which is likely a reflection of being the first announced candidate 425 days ago in 2023. Below are the Mason-Dixon numbers featuring Scott v. Sears.
Whether Scott or Spanberger are the Democratic nominee, the political climate in 2025 should be very favorable for Democrats in Virginia. The second Trump Administration, which begins in 10 days, will be the backdrop and is all but certain to galvanize Democrats still dealing with the losses of 2024. Trump and two billionaires with no government experience are threatening to cut Social Security, dismantle the federal civil service system, and relocate federal workers — a move that would damage Virginia’s economy.
Other good news fro Democrats is that Vice President Kamala Harris won Virginia over Trump by 6 points in Nov. 2024. In Nov. 2020, President Biden won Virginia by 10 points over Trump.
A positive sign for Republicans (above) is Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s approvals. Mason-Dixon polls over the years show that his approval ratings are consistently high and currently at an impressive 58 precent. But will that transfer over to Earle-Sears? Will Youngkin’s approvals remain high if Trump damages Virginia’s economy?
Dems Have a Problem With Male Voters
Both the Emerson and Mason-Dixon polls demonstrate that Democrats have an issue with male voters. Earle-Sears is ahead in both polls with men. As Democrats choose a new DNC Chair the issue has been raised but so far no strategies to win back men have been amplified. Though he lost Virginia to Harris, Trump won over male voters decisively. Trump also again won white women by 53 percent.
Richmond Water Crisis Session Photos
On Jan 8, the Virginia General Assembly gaveled in and out as Richmond deals with a lingering water crisis. Earlier in the week the General Assembly Building was closed because there was no running water. The GA reconvenes on Monday.
All photos 📸 by Paulette Shipman-Singleton
Youngkin at Mar-a-Lago
After attending the state funeral of President Jimmy Carter, Gov. Glenn Youngkin headed to Florida for a roundtable of Governors and sat alongside President-Elect Donald Trump.
“We are home to the largest naval base in the world and Quantico. We house a lot of the SEAL teams and have a huge national security infrastructure and now for two years running we have had drone incursion over secure air space and we still don’t know why,” Gov. Youngkin said seated next to Trump.
“I think that’s absolutely unacceptable,” he added.
On Jan. 8, Youngkin was seen dealing with the Richmond Water Crisis…
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Henrico NAACP Branch Calls for Immediate Action on Water Crisis in Eastern Henrico
Jan. 8th: NAACP Henrico Branch tonight (Jan. 7, 2025) unanimously passed an emergency resolution addressing the ongoing water crisis in Eastern Henrico County, caused by a power outage at the City of Richmond’s water treatment facility and a water main break in Highland Springs. The crisis has left many residents, particularly in predominantly African-American neighborhoods, without clean water, creating a public health emergency with racial disparities. The NAACP Henrico Branch calls for immediate action and accountability, including an independent, community-based investigation into the operational failure and a review of Henrico County’s reliance on Richmond’s water supply.
Monica Hutchinson, President of the NAACP Henrico Branch, stated, “This crisis has highlighted severe infrastructure failures that disproportionately affect Black communities in Henrico County. We demand immediate action, full transparency, and greater accountability in managing water resources.” The resolution also calls for improvements to the emergency response system to prevent delays and ensure equitable access to water during public health emergencies.
NAACP Henrico Branch further demands a comprehensive review of the county’s water infrastructure policies and service agreements with Richmond, stressing the need for long-term solutions that address decades-old racial disparities. A copy of the resolution has been sent to Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas, and the Henrico County Board of Supervisors.
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