Kenyan artist Evans Yegon aka "Yogonizer" walks past his painting of President Obama carrying painting of President-elect Donald Trump at his workshop in Nairobi. (Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images)

Virginia voters are happier than ever with the job President Obama is doing, but are also upbeat about the next four years under President-elect Donald Trump, a new poll finds.

In a state that twice sent Obama to the White House, 59 percent of voters approve of the job Obama is doing, while 38 percent do not, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. His previous high in Virginia was in January 2013, as he started his second term. At that time, 52 percent approved of Obama and 44 percent disapproved.

Virginia had been a reliably red presidential state years for decades until Obama snapped that streak in 2008. He won again here in 2012. This year the state went blue again, choosing Democrat Hillary Clinton over Trump by a five-point margin.

“There may be no political figure in the history of Virginia who is more responsible for the state’s political transition from solid Republican to a swing state with a Democratic lean in presidential elections than President Barack Obama,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

“He leaves office with strongly positive approval ratings,” Brown said. “President Obama not only carried the state twice fairly comfortably, but also leaves office with a model for future Democratic White House nominees on how to carry the state.”

Despite Trump’s loss in Virginia, 55 percent of voters here are optimistic about the next four years under him while 40 percent are pessimistic. But Virginians still take a fairly dim view of the president-elect, with 39 percent seeing him favorably and 53 percent unfavorably.

Voters give high marks to their home-state senators, both Democrats and former governors. Sixty-six percent approve of the job Sen. Mark R. Warner (D) is doing, and 22 percent disapprove. When it comes to Sen. Tim Kaine, who was Clinton’s running mate, 58 percent approve and 32 percent disapprove.

The poll also found Virginians to be closely divided on the issue of flag-burning, something Trump suggested should be outlawed despite a Supreme Court ruling declaring it free speech.

“Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag — if they do, there must be consequences — perhaps loss of citizenship or a year in jail!” Trump tweeted.

In Virginia, 48 percent of voters said it should be legal and 47 percent say it should be illegal.

The poll, conducted from Dec. 6 through Dec. 11, surveyed 1,098 Virginia voters via cellphones and landlines. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.