New Poll: Women Back Kaine, Men Back Allen

Democrat holds a sizable lead among Virginia women in a match-up with Republican , a new poll out Tuesday morning shows.

The poll, by Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., shows that 49 percent of women back Kaine while 40 percent back Allen; 48 percent of men backed Allen while 46 percent backed Kaine.

"Virginia's U.S. Senate race has been too-close-to-call from the get-go," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a news release. "It remains a squeaker and is likely to remain that way until the November election. An Obama victory in the presidential race would help Kaine, while if the Republican carries the state in November that would help Allen." 

From March 13 to 18, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,034 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points. Interviewers called both land lines and cell phones. 

The poll ignored other contenders vying for the Republican nomination. Tea Party conservative Jamie Radtke, for instance, and the rest of northern Virginia.

In all, 1 percent of those responding to Quinnipiac's poll chose "other."

Virginia's congressional primary elections are June 12 and general elections are Nov. 6. 

Patch editor Jason Spencer contributed to this report.