If you’re a Republican who’s looking for a pick-me-up in the Virginia governor’s race, SurveyUSA delivers, putting Bob McDonnell up by 14 percentage points over Democrat Creigh Deeds. Most recent polls had shown McDonnell’s margin shrinking. The McDonnell camp almost immediately sent out the results to their supporters.

I notice the PPP poll that put Deeds within four percentage points had a sample that was 54 percent women and 46 percent men; the SurveyUSA poll was 50-50. The turnout in 2008 actually split similarly to the PPP ratio, but in 2006, exit polls showed a 51 percent women, 49 percent men split. (There apparently were no major exit polls conducted after the last Virginia governor’s race in 2005.) Despite the hammering on the thesis, SurveyUSA shows McDonnell winning women 53 percent to 43 percent.

SurveyUSA’s sample breaks down 37 percent Republican, 32 percent Democrat, 29 percent independent. As noted yesterday, on Election Day 2008, the presidential year with enthusiasm for Obama driving Democratic turnout, the party ID split was 39 percent Democrat, 33 percent Republican, and 27 percent independent in CNN’s exit poll. The 2006 vote split 36 percent Democrat, 39 percent Republican, 26 percent independent.