GOP CANDIDATE MOVES UP IN VIRGINIA GOV RACE - AT 8:05 P.M. ET:  You'd almost never know it, but America votes next month.  There are two critical governorships up for decision, New Jersey and Virginia, both currently held by Democrats.  In Virginia, the Republican candidate, Bob McDonnell, saw his hefty lead reduced after the Washington Post revealed a thesis McDonnell had written 20 years ago, with some decidedly un-P.C. ideas.

But McDonnell seems to have bounced back, with about a month to go before the election.  From the Politico:

Bob McDonnell, Virginia’s Republican nominee for governor, has increased his lead over Democrat Creigh Deeds to nine percentage points, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll out Wednesday.

McDonnell leads Deeds 51-42 percent according to the Tuesday poll of 500 likely voters. The new survey shows a significant jump for McDonnell, who led Deeds by only 2 percentage points in the same poll two weeks ago.

Rasmussen is the first major poll in recent weeks to show McDonnell expanding his lead over Deeds.

A Washington Post poll last week showed McDonnell leading by only four percent, as did a InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research poll last Wednesday. McDonnell led by as much as fifteen percentage points earlier this year in the Post poll.

COMMENT:  The GOP candidate is also leading in New Jersey, but take nothing for granted.  New Jersey is a heavily Democratic state.  Virginia is "purple," and has been trending Dem in recent years.  If Republicans can pick up both governorships, we should permit ourselves a slight, Mona Lisa smile.

October 1, 2009