Virginia is generating some battleground buzz in the face of the upcoming general election.

Although Virginians have not dedicated their 13 Electoral College votes to a Democratic candidate since 1964, demographic changes have some believing that it could be a close call in November.

It's already a close race according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted in August for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke and WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. The poll concluded that Sen. John McCain currently holds 48 percent of the vote in Virginia, a mere 1 percent lead on Sen. Barack Obama's 47 percent of the general vote.

Obama was popular with Virginia Democrats in the primary election, obtaining 64 percent of the vote. McCain narrowly squeaked a primary victory in the state with an exact 50 percent after a tight race against former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Aides to both campaigns said that their candidates will invest heavily in Virginia, bringing both candidates to the state and a barrage of presidential press.

Democrats also plan to capitalize on the popularity of former Gov. Mark Warner who delivered the keynote address endorsing Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver; highlighting the importance of Virginia in this presidential race.

Yet, many are skeptical that Virginia will break the trend in this year's election. Despite a downturn in President George W. Bush's popularity, Republicans maintained -- even increased -- their majorities in the past two election cycles.

In 2000, 52.5 percent of the vote went to the Bush and Cheney ticket; however, in 2004 that percentage climbed to 53.7 for re-election.

However, voter numbers for Democrats also increased over the past two cycles, with 44.44 percent for Gore in 2000 and 45.58 percent for Kerry in 2004.