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McAuliffe holds narrow lead in poll of Va. governor’s race

A poll finds former Gov. Terry McAuliffe is leading in the race to regain his old job – but it’s a tight contest.

The poll by JMC Analytics and Polling finds McAuliffe ahead of his Republican opponent, businessman Glenn Youngkin, by 46% to 42% overall, with 12% undecided. But it’s within the margin of error and, as the polling firm notes, that’s a lot narrower than President Joe Biden’s 10-percentage-point victory over then-president Donald Trump last November.

The other Democratic candidates for statewide office hold similarly narrow leads: Democratic Del. Hala Ayala leads Republican former Del. Winsome Sears by 42% to 36%, with 22% undecided, while Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, leads Republican Del. Jason Miyares, 45% to 38%, with 17% undecided.

The generic-ballot question — whether a respondent would prefer the Democratic or Republican candidate for the House of Delegates – yielded only a one-point Democratic advantage, 44% to 43%.

The poll was taken June 9 (the day after the Democratic primaries) through June 12, and surveyed 550 people. The margin of error was given as 4.2%.

“In summary,” the poll found, “Democrats start off with leads both in statewide and/or House of Delegates races, but it’s not a secure lead, and there are noticeable signs of underperformance relative to President Biden’s 2020 race.”

The poll also found that 49% of respondents approved of the job Biden is doing, while 44% disapprove, and Gov. Ralph Northam’s job performance is viewed positively by a one-point margin, 45% to 44%.

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Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which opens by Dec. 31, is one of the most important steps students and their families can take to pay for college. Some states now make completing the FAFSA a high school graduation requirement. The U.S. Department of Education awarded about $111.6 billion in federal grants, loans and work-study funds in fiscal year 2022, according to the most recent Federal Student Aid annual report. Those federal funds will assist roughly 9.8 million students in completing their education.
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