Ahead of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, Virginians sounded off on their political opinions.
Some students at Virginia Tech didn’t plan on watching the address.
“I don’t really care to hear what the president has to say,” junior Meghan King said. “I don’t usually believe anything he says, so I find it a waste of my time.”
“I’d probably catch the highlights,” Virginia Tech freshman Grace Kendrick said.
“Probably neither,” Virginia Tech freshman Hannah Shifter said. “I don’t really watch the formal stuff that comes out of the White House right now.”
As far as what topics they were interested in, VT students were primarily focused on immigration.
“I want acknowledgement and a rescindment of ICE from places because they’re doing things that I don’t support and I don’t like and I’d rather they don’t do them,” King said.
Meanwhile, Roanoke College released its quarterly poll that gathers people’s political thoughts on Monday. You can find a full breakdown of the poll here.
Regarding gun control, many Virginians support tougher gun laws.
“What we see there is support for a variety of gun control measures where people - the majority of people - in some cases, the large majority support banning assault weapons, however they define that term,” Interim Director of Roanoke College Poll Dr. Harry Wilson said.
Another topic that was focused on was the redistricting amendment proposed by Governor Abigail Spanberger that will be decided by the voters.
According to Wilson, most Virginians are comfortable with the current mapping system
“We had a majority of people who said they would vote against the amendment and vote to keep the process as it is,” Wilson said.
They also asked about the opinions of Spanberger, who is set to deliver the rebuttal to President Trump’s State of the Union address.
Wilson says that Spanberger’s approval ratings are similar to former Governor Glenn Youngkin’s from back in November
“[It’s] kind of interesting and follows a longstanding pattern in Virginia where Virginia likes its governors,” Wilson said. “Whether they’re Republican, Democrat, whether they’re liberal or conservative, Virginia tends to like its governors.”