On its surface results of the annual Wason Center survey of where Virginians stand as the General Assembly session is underway seems very “blue,” but moderation may be the theme in Richmond this year. Dr. Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo is research director at the Wason Center; she says many of the issues Democrats at the state level have campaigned for have the support of those interviewed in the survey. 15 dollars an hour minimum wage, guaranteeing reproductive rights in the state constitution, retail marijuana sales and restoring ex-felon voting rights automatically all had majority support. So does new Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger at 60 percent. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
Summary of Key Findings
- A plurality of Virginians say the state is headed in the right direction (46% right, 10% mixed, 35% wrong) but are more pessimistic about the direction of the country (28% right, 6% mixed, 65% wrong).
- 34% of Virginians approve of the job President Trump is doing while 62% disapprove; 4% don’t know. Youngkin’s final gubernatorial approval rating was 44%.
- Looking ahead to Governor Abigail Spanberger’s term, a majority of Virginians are optimistic (60%), while 3% are mixed and 33% are pessimistic about her term as governor.
- Virginian’s say the following are the top issues facing the state: inflation and cost of living (31%), political extremism/threats to democracy (22%), healthcare (11%), and K-12 education (10%).
- A majority of Virginians support amending the state’s constitution to guarantee reproductive rights in the state, such as access to abortion and contraception (66% support/strongly support) and to allow felons that have completed their prison sentence to have their voting rights automatically restored upon release (64% support/strongly support).
- On redistricting, while a majority of Virginians support the current way the state does redistricting (63%), a narrow majority support a constitutional amendment that would temporarily change that method to allow the state legislature to draw new district lines mid-way through the census cycle in response to other states (51% support/strongly support).
- A majority of Virginians support allowing the retail sale of recreational marijuana in the Commonwealth (60%).
- When it comes to data centers, Virginians support laws that would prohibit locating them within a mile of a national park, state park, or historically significant site (69%), requiring newly constructed data centers to derive their energy from renewable or nuclear sources (63%), requiring a site assessment before data center approval looking at water usage, the electric grid, carbon emissions, and agricultural impacts (86%), and a law requiring localities to conduct a noise study if the site is close to homes or schools (81%).
- On Virginia’s right-to-work law, Virginian’s hold somewhat contradictory views with a majority supporting keeping the law as-is (58% to 33%), while also narrowly supporting a full repeal (50% to 42%). Pluralities support modifying the law such that non-union members work under separate contracts from union members (44% to 43%) and no longer requiring unions to represent non-union members in work disputes (54% to 37%).
- A large majority of Virginians support increasing Virginia’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2028 (78% support/strongly support) and requiring Virginia employers to provide some form of paid sick leave to employees (80% support/strongly support).
- A majority of Virginians support a law requiring Virginia to establish a paid family and medical leave program providing up to 12 weeks of benefits for eligible individuals (84% support/strongly support).
