'09 Exit Polls: Voters Wary of Economy, Obama Not a Factor

Naomi Horak, 23, of Arlington, Va., left, exits the Wilson precinct voting station with Ben Aiken,...

Naomi Horak, 23, of Arlington, Va., left, exits the Wilson precinct voting station with Ben Aiken, 26, of Arlington, Va., on election day in Arlington, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009. The election includes the race for Virginia's next governor, with Democrat Creigh Deeds running against Republican Bob McDonnell.

(Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)

VA: Creigh Deeds' Main Problem Creigh Deeds?

VIRGINIA – More than a verdict on Obama, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Creigh Deeds' main problem looks to have been Creigh Deeds. He fell short in connecting with Virginia voters: They divided on whether Deeds "shares your values" – 47 percent yes, 50 percent no. McDonnell, scored better; 61 percent said he shares their values.

Similarly, just 40 percent in Virginia saw Deeds as "about right" ideologically, rather than too liberal (47 percent) or too conservative (6 percent). More, 53 percent, saw McDonnell as "about right" on this spectrum; 33 percent said he was too conservative, 7 percent too liberal.

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Nearly half, 47 percent called the economy the single top issue in their vote, far and away No.1, as noted those economy voters favored McDonnell over Deeds by a 15-point margin, 57-42 percent. (An additional 15 percent called taxes their top issue – and those voters went for McDonnell by a far broader margin.)

Deeds spent considerable resources during the campaign criticizing a conservatively themed thesis McDonnell wrote as a law school student – an effort that was perhaps ill-targeted. While 22 percent said the thesis made them less likely to support McDonnell (vs. 8 percent more likely), most, 65 percent, said it had no impact on their vote, and they went heavily for McDonnell.