Virginia's Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia is enjoying high approval ratings in support of his pro-parent, anti-tax agenda, according to the latest Mason Dixon survey.
The survey found that Youngkin boasts an approval rating of 56%, with 31% disapproving of the former businessman. This 25-point gap marks Youngkin's highest approval rating since taking office in early 2022 after defeating his Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe.
The high approval ratings were present in every region of Virginia except the suburbs of Washington D.C., which are notoriously Democratic. However, even in the D.C. suburbs, Youngkin's approval rating was 49%, with around 38% disapproving. In central and southwest Virginia, his approval rating was closer to 70%.
The Mason-Dixon survey also found that 47% of Virginians believe the state is heading in the right direction, with 40% feeling the opposite. This result stands in contrast to the country as a whole, where 59% feel the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction.
Another survey by Christopher Newport University also showed positive results for Youngkin, with a 45% to 37% margin saying the state is heading in the right direction. That survey, meanwhile, had his approval rating at just 50%.
The state of Virginia has voted for every Democratic presidential candidate since Barack Obama in 2008, although new polls show Biden and his agenda losing ground. Biden's approval rating in the Mason-Dixon survey was only 45%, with 52% disapproving. The CNU survey showed that 73% feel the country is heading in the wrong direction, with Biden's approval at 38% to 57%.
The positive polling results come as Youngkin recently unveiled his 2023 agenda and budget. "Virginia is showing strong support for his agenda," a Richmond official told the Examiner. The numbers also bode well for Youngkin if he were to make a run for the White House, which many in Republican circles believe he should do.
In fact, the CNU survey found good backing for the governor’s efforts in its “State of the Commonwealth 2023” poll and analysis.
“Virginia voters show support for some of Governor Youngkin’s policies, including narrow support for a reduction in the state income tax and requiring parental approval for students to be referred to by a different pronoun from their birth certificate in K-12 public schools," said CNU’s Wason Center for Civic Leadership.
"On the other hand, a majority of registered voters do not support the governor’s environmental policy proposals, abortion restrictions, or his corporate tax cut proposal," it continued. "Still, half of Virginia voters approve of the job Governor Youngkin is doing and are more optimistic about the direction of the Commonwealth than the state of the nation,”
