Gun safety was a winning issue for Democrats in Virginia swing districts

Guns played an influential role in flipping Virginia's General Assembly blue this week, according to new polling of 600 Virginia swing district voters by Schoen Consulting for the gun safety group Everytown.

Between the lines: The stances of candidates on guns was "important" to 83% of Virginia swing district voters. A plurality (28%) said it was the most important issue to them in deciding who they voted for— a more common response than health care (24%) or the economy (24%). Of those who said gun issues were their top concern, 66% voted for Democrats.

Methodology: The poll was conducted by Schoen Consulting from Nov. 5-6 in 22 Virginia state legislative districts. The poll had a margin of error of ± 4%.