Is Barack Obama a complete non-factor in the Virginia governor's race?
It sure looks that way.
... the internals of the new Washington Post poll in Virginia suggest that Obama may not really be an important factor at all. It finds:
* Seventy percent of likely voters say Obama is “not a factor” in ther choice. Only 15% say opposition to Obama is a factor, while 14%, say support for him is a factor.
* Seventy one percent say it makes “no difference” if the governor is from the same political party as the president. More people say it’s good to have a governor from the same party, 16%-13%.
* Obama’s approval rating in Virginia is 54%, in line with many national polls.
Look, there's going to be a lot of post-election commentary on 11/4 and beyond, and at least some of it's going to be on target. But this meme, that somehow the Virginia governor's race - in a state which almost always votes opposite to whichever party controls the White House - was a referendum on Barack Obama is utterly ridiculous. I would also point out that there's zero/nada/nil evidence that this election is a referendum on the national Republican Party, which continues to hover at
abysmal, near-all-time low approval ratings in the polls. The bottom line: there have been races in the past which hinged on national issues, but this isn't one of 'em.
