VCU poll shows Virginians prefer a Republican House of Delegates but are evenly split on Senate

A poll conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University shows a close race for control of the General Assembly in November.

When asked about House of Delegates control following the November 2023 election, 47% of Virginians said they would prefer a Republican majority and 41% would prefer a Democratic majority. For the state Senate, Virginians were evenly split between favoring a Democratic (44%) or a Republican majority (44%).  Most Democrats would prefer a Democratic majority in the House of Delegates (80%) and the Senate (88%), and around nine out of 10 Republicans would prefer Republican control in both chambers (92% for the House of Delegates and 94% for the Senate). Independents favored Republican control, with 39% supporting a Republican majority the House (compared with 15% favoring a Democratic majority) and 36% favoring Republican control of the Senate (compared with 14% favoring a Democratic majority).

“Our recent poll is indicative of the role Independents are playing in today’s elections,” Wilder said. “I’ve always said that Virginians are independent thinkers and will not allow outside influences to sway their beliefs.”

Approval of the General Assembly

Regarding the Virginia legislature’s handling of its job, 36% of respondents approved and 30% disapproved. By party, 40% of Democrats and 36% of Republicans approved, while approval among Independents was considerably lower at 17%. In addition, respondents in Northwest Virginia were somewhat more likely to disapprove (43%) compared with other regions of Virginia (29% on average).