RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A new poll shows 49% of Virginians approve and 38% disapprove of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s job performance six months into his term.
The Commonwealth Poll released Tuesday, conducted by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, found support for Youngkin-backed proposals for a gas tax holiday, eliminating the state’s grocery tax and funding historically Black colleges and universities.
The Democratic-controlled Virginia Senate rejected legislation to suspend the state’s gas tax of 26 cents for three months, with critics saying it would not lead to relief for residents. Even Youngkin said a potential gas tax holiday would not guarantee savings for consumers.
“The responses in the poll suggest what I have always stated: The people are always ahead of the leaders,” former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder said in a statement. “The grocery tax proposal is very receptive; gas tax suspension and/or stipend is greeted positively, which can be viewed as a direct response to rising inflation.”
The Virginia General Assembly approved a partial cut of the grocery tax, voting to remove the 1.5% that goes to the state but keep the 1% earmarked for local governments.
The poll found that 60% of Democrats supported eliminating the state’s portion of the grocery tax, compared to 79% of Republicans and 76% of independents.
Seventy-nine percent of Virginians back plans to fund historically Black colleges and universities and 56% back establishing college partnership lab schools in the commonwealth.
There were 813 Virginia adults surveyed for the poll through landline and mobile phone interviews from June 30 through July 9. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.81 percentage points.
