Virginia Exit Polls Show Cuccinelli Performing Poorly Against McAuliffe

Impact

Here's the latest Edison Research exit polls on the Virginia gubernatorial elections, courtesy of the New York Times. Cuccinelli still has the lead with just 16% of precincts reporting at 51.8% of all counted votes to McAuliffe's 40.2%. But exit poll numbers look like Republican candidate Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli will be having a rough time against Democrat Terry McAuliffe as more precincts come in:

- 78% of Virginia voters were white in 2009, but this year it's closer to 70%.

- Evangelical Christians are down from approximately 1/3rd to 1/4th of voters.

- More than six in 10 voters have a college education, and the proportion of those with a high school degree or less has fallen from approximately 20% of votes to one in seven.

- Self-described Democrats are now 37% of the vote, compared to 33% self-identified Republicans.

- 54% of female voters back Terry McAuliffe, while just 38% back Ken Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli has a slight lead in men, with a 47%-46% lead. Libertarian Robert Sarvis could be acting as a spoiler for Cuccinellli, picking up 16% of respondents total.

- Terry McAuliffe has 93% of the black vote. (Cuccinelli has just 6%).

- The only age group Cuccinelli is leading in is 65+ ... at 50%. That group is 20% of the vote. McAuliffe leads in 18-29-year-olds (50-30%, 12% of voters), 30-44-year-olds (59-36%, 23% of voters), and 45-64-year-olds (48%-46%, 45% of voters).

- This election is highly partisan, with 96% of Democrats backing McAuliffe and 91% of Republicans backing Cuccinelli.