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Over the last 24 hours two more polls were released, one by Democrat pollsters Public Policy Polling and the other by SurveyUSA for Roanoke television station WDBJ. Neither typically are considered top tier polls — not necessarily in the same league as Mason-Dixon and Rasmussen. But they have shown interesting, sometimes contradictory, results this campaign season. But now both show Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell with commanding double digit leads (14 and 19 points, respectively). Each also has the other two Republican candidates, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling and attorney general nominee Senator Ken Cuccinelli (Fairfax), up by healthy double digit margins. Does the fact that these two newer polls to Virginia politics both show the same trend (though different margins) verify a trend?

One who pretty much said so today was U.Va. political soothsayer Larry Sabato. On WRVA radio’s Richmond’s Morning News With Jimmy Barrett, he wouldn’t go that far — yet. But he crept up to to the line, which, for Dr. Sabato, is saying a great deal. He said he would release his Crystal Ball’s predictions next week.

Listen to Larry Sabato’s interview (6:55) with Jimmy Barrett by clicking here.

Here is the analysis (including methodology) and internal numbers from the two polls, including from the polling organizations themselves:

Public Policy Polling 

McDonnell starting to pull away (PublicPolicyPolling.com)

Another Poll Suggests McDonnell Pulling Away From Deeds (CQPolitics Blog)

McDonnell up 12 pts. in new poll (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

Both

McDonnell Opens Double-Digit Lead Over Deeds in Virginia (Politics Daily Poll Watch Blog)

SurveyUSA

Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #15927 (SurveyUSA.com)

SurveyUSA Shows McDonnell Clinging to a 59–40 Lead (National Review Online’s The Campaign Spot Blog)

News7 Poll: Republicans hold comfortable leads in statewide contests (WDBJ7.com)

RedState.com’s Moe Lane blogged early this morning that the Democrat National Committee — the organization headed by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine — is going to hold back $5 million from its gubernatorial candidate, Senator Creigh Deeds (see here). Lane based his post on reporting from Jim Geraghty at the campaign spot blog at National Review Online (see here).

Geraghty, in turn, took his info from a report in The Augusta Free Press (”The Valley’s Progressive News Source”) where Chris Graham writes:

The bad poll news comes on the heels of a story circulating in Democratic circles today that the Democratic National Committee is reportedly holding on to its $5 million financial commitment to the Deeds campaign out of concern that the Deeds campaign has focused too much of its attention on the controversial Bob McDonnell 1989 grad-school thesis setting out a hardline social-conservative political agenda for his budding political career and not enough on putting down a framework for what a Deeds administration would do for Virginia.

If true, the irony rivals fantasy — pulling the plug for his obsessive negative ads and hammering Republican Bob McDonnell on “divisive social issues.” Looks like it’s only dividing the senator from his campaign lifeline. But then again, maybe it’s because the DNC saw this and this.

Legislators rolled into the capital city this week with the usual crush of agenda promoting news conferences, last minute fundraisers (they can’t solicit campaign donations during session) and organizational meetings.

Today, the games begins. Don’t get left on the bench. Your team wants and needs you on the field!

If you have not registered for Family Foundation Day at the Capitol this Monday, January 19, please do so as soon as possible! 

Not only will you be able to meet with your elected officials to express your support for The Family Foundation’s pro-family agenda, you will have the opportunity to hear from some of Virginia’s strongest pro-family leaders in Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, Senator Ken Cuccinelli (R-37, Fairfax) and Delegate Bill Carrico (R-5, Independence).

Our keynote speaker is Jordan Lorence (see video here), Senior Counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund. He will address the issue of religious liberty (see video of him on this subject here) and what our rights are and how we can make a difference. 

We’re also pleased to announce that we added Adam B. Schaeffer, a policy analyst with the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom and senior fellow at the Virginia Institute for Public Policy (see Tertium Quids, here), as a Lobby Day speaker. He will address the issue of educational choice and freedom. Schaeffer is a former NRI Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and adjunct scholar at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. He has commented on a range of political issues in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online and RealClearPolitics.

Listen to Adam Schaeffer in a podcast at TQ Radio, here.

This is a power packed line up you won’t want to miss. But time is running out. To ensure we can reserve a meeting time with your legislator, please call to register for Family Foundation Day at the Capitol as soon as possible.

Family Foundation Day at the Capitol is free of charge, and will be held Monday, January 19 from 9:00 a.m. through the afternoon at the Richmond Marriott, 500 East Broad Street.

To register now, contact our Grassroots Coordinator John Smith at 804-343-0010 or e-mail him @ John@familyfoundation.org

The game will go on with or without you. It’s your choice whether you get on the field or stay on the bench. Others, many of whom vehemently disagree with your vision for Virginia, already are playing and playing hard. However, you can make your presence known and voice heard for traditional values this year as well, and help ensure that Virginia continues to be a great place to raise a family.