Obama Holds Big Lead Going into Virginia Primary

It will be interesting to see the outcome of Tuesday's primary. I was surprised to see that Obama's margin over Hillary Clinton was the largest here in the Hampton Roads area based on the most recent polls. I am at the office early waiting for the Obama field organizer to come by and print off canvassing materials – we are having another gorgeous day which will be conducive to canvassing - and then later volunteers should be by to use the phones. Purportedly, as of yesterday at mid-day over 7,000 people had already sent an RSVP online for the Obama appearance this evening in Virginia Beach. On a side note, McCain is fortunately holding a huge lead over Christo-fascist Mike Huckabee except in Southwestern Virginia, home of the highest concentration of Kool-Aid drinkers in the state. Here are some highlights from this morning’s Virginian Pilot (http://hamptonroads.com/2008/02/obama-mccain-hold-big-lead-going-virginia-primary-poll-says):

Obama led Clinton, 53 percent to 37 percent, in a telephone survey of 400 likely voters in the Democratic primary. The poll was conducted Thursday and Friday by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington. Mason-Dixon also surveyed 400 likely voters in the state's Republican primary. Fifty-five percent favored the Arizonan McCain, 27 percent preferred Huckabee, and 5 percent sided with U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. J. Bradford Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon, said the outcome is basically "a done deal in Virginia."

Among whites, 49 percent favored Clinton, and 41 percent preferred Obama. Obama's lead in Hampton Roads, where 62 percent of voters polled support him compared to 27 percent for Clinton, is the largest of any region in the state. Clinton, who if elected would become the first female president, has tepid support among women in Virginia according to the poll, with Obama claiming 49 percent to her 41 percent. Both candidates are well-regarded by Virginia Democrats. Seventy percent of those surveyed said they had a favorable impression of Obama, and 60 percent said they had positive feelings about Clinton.

Asked to identify the most important issue, 38 percent of the Democrats polled said the economy and jobs, 22 percent chose health care, 20 percent said the Iraq war, and 10 percent pointed to national security and terrorism.

Huckabee appears to be running even with McCain in Southwest Virginia. McCain seems to have enormous advantages in all other regions of the state, including 59 percent in Hampton Roads to 27 percent for Huckabee.