Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) has a 5-point lead over former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie (R) in the race for Virginia governor, according to a Fox News poll.

The poll finds Northam has 48 percent support in the race, compared to Gillespie who has 43 percent.

Another 7 percent of respondents are undecided.

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Independent voters are divided on their choice: Northam and Gillespie each receive about one-third support.

Northam has a 32-point lead over his GOP opponent among moderates and a 20-point lead among women. He has also holds an edge among voters with college degrees.

The poll was conducted from Nov. 2 to 5 among 1,239 voters. The margin of error is 2.5 percentage points.

Another poll released Monday found Northam held a 6-point lead over Gillespie.

The battle for the governor's mansion has evolved into a furious effort to turn out voters loyal to each candidate’s own political party, in a state where close elections come down to only a small number of counties.

Observers in both parties have zeroed in on a handful of key precincts in bellwether counties and cities, crafting base appeals aimed only at turning out their core voters.