White Paper

The Credibility Factor

The Virginia race for governor was among the year’s most watched and hotly-contested political races in the country, and widely viewed as a bellwether for campaigns in the 2018 midterm cycle. Candidates spent $65 million—making it the most expensive governor race in the Commonwealth’s history. If the Virginia race serves as a sign of what’s to come, it begs several questions: What captured voters’ attention? Which mediums were most credible? And most importantly—what motivated voters to go to the polls?

The American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) and the United States Postal Service® joined forces to get answers to these questions. Conducted by Summit Research on behalf of the Postal Service, the survey compiled responses of 900 Virginia voters in the days immediately following the gubernatorial election on November 7-9, 2017. The results may surprise you.