Washington Post: Kaine Leads Over Allen 51% to 44%

Besides intensely hoping that Barack Obama prevails over Mitt"I'm A Liar" Romney on November 6th, I very much want to see my former classmate, George Allen, go down to defeat to Democrat Tim Kaine.  As noted before, George Allen's plan for America has changed little since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate 12 years ago even though the world and America's circumstances have changed markedly during the intervening years.  Allen still believes in large tax cuts for the wealthy, drastic cuts to social programs, blind fealty to Christianist extremists, and a subtle form of racism that is far too prominent in the Republican Party of Virginia.  In sharp contrast Tim Kaine - who I also know personally - understands that pushing recycled versions of failed GOP policies doesn't serve either Virginia's or the nation's best interests.  Here are highlights from the Washington Post on Kaine's continued lead in the polls over George "Macaca" Allen:

Timothy M. Kaine enters the final days of Virginia’s U.S. Senate contest with a clear advantage over George Allen, a new Washington Post poll shows, keeping an edge despite a tightening presidential race and an avalanche of outside spending against the Democrat.

Kaine (D) leads fellow former governor Allen (R) among likely Virginia voters, 51 to 44 percent, nearly unchanged from the 51 to 43 margin the Democrat enjoyed in the Washington Post’s mid-September poll. While that survey showed the Senate race mirroring the presidential — Kaine and President Obama held identical 8-point leads — Kaine is now in a stronger position than his party’s standard-bearer.

The two men have raised nearly $30 million combined, and more than $40 million has been poured into the race by outside groups — the most of any non-presidential race in the country, according to the Center for Responsive Politics — with the majority coming from Allen’s allies.

Kaine’s lead is fueled by a continued strong showing among women voters and voters in the Northern Virginia suburbs closest to the District, and comes despite growing advantages for Allen among whites and seniors. Kaine enjoys a 12-point edge on the question of which man would do a better job working with the other party on Capitol Hill — a focal point of Kaine’s message.

59 percent of likely voters say Obama was not a factor either way in their choice for Senate, while 25 percent say they would use their Senate vote to express support for the president and 13 percent say they wanted to express opposition.

Kaine has a seven-point lead on the question of which man better understands the economic problems of Virginians, and also has a 12-point advantage on which candidate is “the more friendly and likable person.”

Overall, Kaine is viewed favorably by 57 percent of likely voters and unfavorably by 33 percent. Allen’s rating is 50 percent favorable, 37 percent unfavorable.

 

The gender gap in the race continues to widen, with Kaine leading among women by 18 points and Allen holding a narrow four-point edge with men. Allen has the backing of 56 percent of white likely voters, while Kaine is supported by 77 percent of non-whites, including 86 percent of African Americans.