Virginia Poll: Clinton free falls 40 points, only Biden beats all Republicans

By Paul Bedard, Paul Bedard

Published December 20, 2015

Hillary Clinton's huge 80 percent support in Virginia has sunk to just 40 percent, and now only Vice President Biden is the Democrat who can beat every Republican in the must-win state for the eventual Democratic nominee, according to a newly released poll.

"Clinton's once dominant position is no longer," said Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University. "Virginia Democrats are intrigued by Joe Biden, but younger voters are also intrigued by Bernie Sanders," he added.

In April, 80 percent of Virginia Democrats backed Clinton. Now it's down to 40 percent. Biden is tied for second with Sanders at 23 percent, followed by former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb at 5 percent.

"Virginia Democrats are hesitating on Clinton," said Kidd. "While she continues to lead, the fact that Sanders' campaign and Biden's potential candidacy have cut her lead in half shows that they are looking seriously at alternatives."