Poll: Democrat Joe Manchin Leads by Four in West Virginia Senate Race

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) leads West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey by a small margin, according to a poll released Tuesday.

Sen. Manchin leads Morrisey by four points—49 to 45 percent—in the heated West Virginia race. Thirty-six percent of West Virginia voters said they will “definitely” vote for Manchin, 11 percent will probably vote for the West Virginia Democrat, and two percent are leaning towards voting for him.

In contrast, 36 percent said they will definitely vote for Morrisey, eight percent will probably vote for the AG, and one percent lean towards voting for the West Virginia Republican. Three percent of West Virginia voters remain undecided.

An overwhelming number of West Virginia voters support President Donald Trump, and Manchin faces a tough re-election campaign in a state Trump won by more than 42 points in the 2016 presidential election.

Sixty-two percent of West Virginians approve of Trump’s job performance. Among those voters, 55 percent strongly approve of the president, and eight percent somewhat approve of him. Only 35 percent disapprove of Trump’s job performance, with four percent somewhat disapproving, and 30 percent strongly approving.

This newest poll shows a tight race between Manchin and Morrisey. A survey released last week found that Manchin and Morrisey have struck a virtual dead heat. The poll showed that Manchin’s favorability hit a new low: 45 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of Manchin, while 50 percent of voters have an unfavorable view of the incumbent Democrat.

Another poll from Morning Consult found that Manchin was one of the top ten least popular senators.

Morrisey has attacked Manchin for portraying himself as a conservative lawmaker in West Virginia and then cozying up with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other leftist politicians in Washington, DC.

“Joe Manchin says one thing in West Virginia, but in Washington, he votes to send taxpayer dollars to abortion provider Planned Parenthood. Joe can’t be trusted to represent our West Virginia values”: