SALEM, Va. – Roanoke College released their August 2025 election poll on August 19, which asked likely Virginia voters multiple questions regarding their opinions on candidates for the upcoming 2025 election in Virginia, who they would vote for, if they feel the country is on the right path, and various other questions. 369 Virginians responded to the poll using phone calls and texts, and 333 responses were taken from a “proprietary online panel” of Virginians.
702 people were interviewed between August 11 and August 15. Roanoke College said quotas were used to ensure that different regions of the commonwealth were proportionately represented. Weighting was also conducted slightly differently for this poll, as it was done to match the 2021 Virginia exit poll.
Are we moving in the right or wrong direction?
When interviewees were asked if they think the country is moving in the right or wrong direction, 39% said the right direction, and 60% said we were moving in the wrong direction. 2% of respondents were unsure.
When asked about the direction of the Commonwealth, 52% said we are moving in the right direction, 45% said we had gotten off on the wrong track, and 3% were unsure. Since Roanoke College’s last poll, more people said both the country and the commonwealth are moving in the right direction.
Approval ratings of political figures
President Donald Trump’s approval rating has increased since May, with 41% approval (up from 31%), and 56% disapproval, which is down 9% from May.
As for Governor Glenn Youngkin, his approval rating has also increased. He is currently at a 50% approval rating, which is up from 46% in May. Youngkin’s disapproval is at 43%, which is down from May’s 48%.
Favorability of political figures
Please note that, while favorability tends to correlate with approval, they are not the same statistic.
Donald Trump’s favorability has gone up since the last poll, with 41% viewing him favorably. 57% of interviewees view him unfavorably, which is down from 64% in February. 3% of respondents said they were mixed, unsure, didn’t know, or refused the question.
Glenn Youngkin‘s favorability rating has increased since May. He is currently at 50% favorability and 42% unfavorability. This is the first time since August 2024 that he has reached at least 50% approval.
Abigail Spanberger‘s favorability was polled for the third time by the college. She received a rating of 44% favorability and 38% unfavorability. 17% of respondents didn’t know or refused the question. Spanberger’s favorability has continued to improve since the first time it was polled, with more Virginians knowing who she is.
Winsome Earle-Sears’s favorability was polled for the third time by the college as well. She received a rating of 36% favorability and 43% unfavorability. 21% of respondents didn’t know or refused the question. Earle-Sears is also faring better than she did in May, with 4% more respondents finding her favorable, and 5% less finding her unfavorable.
How are respondents planning to vote?
Participants were also asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, and they had to decide who to vote for right now.
As of August 2025, 46% of respondents said they would vote for Abigail Spanberger, and 39% said they would vote for Winsome Earle-Sears. This is a significant decrease in Spanberger’s lead from May, which saw her leading Sears by 17 points.
Although Spanberger still holds a comfortable lead, 14% of respondents said they are undecided, and 1% said they would vote for another candidate.
For the first time since June’s Democratic primary, Roanoke College asked interviewees how they would vote in the lieutenant gubernatorial and attorney general elections as well.
Currently, Democrats hold the advantage by 3% in both races. 38% of respondents said they would vote for Democrat Ghazala Hashmi, and 35% said they would vote for Republican John Reid. 25% are undecided, and 2% said they would vote for another candidate.
As for the attorney general race, 41% said they would vote for Democrat Jay Jones, and 38% said they would vote for Republican incumbent Jason Miyares. 21% are undecided, with 2% saying they would choose another candidate. Please note that this percentage is slightly higher than 100% due to rounding.
“The races for lieutenant governor and attorney general are both within the poll’s margin of error, suggesting the election is far from over. It should be noted that this poll was statistically weighted to match the 2021 Virginia exit poll, which was a good year for Republicans. In polls close to elections, IPOR weights to match the most recent relevant exit poll because it is a more objective standard than estimating which groups we think are more or less likely to vote.”
Dr. Harry Wilson, interim director for IPOR and professor emeritus of political science at Roanoke College
Respondents were also asked what their most important issues are this election cycle.
By far, the most popular response was inflation/cost of living, with 54% of respondents saying it is their most important issue. Crime was trailing far behind at 11%, abortion at 7%, jobs at 6%, and gun control at 4%. 18% of interviewees cited “something else” as their most important issue.
Democrats vs. Republicans
Respondents were also asked which party they felt would handle certain issues better.
Overall, Democrats saw more favorable ratings than Republicans on issues like healthcare, education, social security, and the environment, while Republicans were seen as more beneficial on issues like inflation, immigration, and the federal debt. Large chunks of respondents felt neither party sufficiently handled many issues, most notably with the national debt, taxes and the parties addressing the concerns of the average person.
Crosstabs
The polling data also provided select crosstabs, such as how Democrat, Republican, and independent voters answered certain questions. As expected, those who identify as Democrats have higher favorability and approval ratings of Democratic figures, and Republicans have higher favorability and approval ratings of Republican figures.
Independents had split views on the candidates as well. Youngkin holds a 47% approval rating among Independents, continuing to be the highest out of any of the other names polled. This is also 5% higher than his independent approval in May. Aside from Youngkin, Independents are currently polling more in favor of Democratic figures and the Democratic Party as a whole.
Independents also support Spanberger when asked who they would vote for. 42% of independents said they would vote for Spanberger, with only 26% for Earle-Sears.
The poll contained over 30 questions, so less significant topics were not covered here. If you’d like all information, as well as the raw polling data, you can visit the Roanoke College website here.
For more information on how polling works, click here.