-Although they dislike him and think he's guilty of the charges that have been brought against him, North Carolinians think the prosecution of John Edwards has been a waste of taxpayer money.
56% of voters in the state believe the efforts against Edwards have been a waste compared to just 27% who think they've been a good use of public resources. There's actually a bipartisan consensus on that front. Democrats (66/18), independents (48/32), and Republicans (47/37) all concur that this has not been money well spent.
That sentiment certainly isn't a reflection of sympathy for Edwards though. 57% of voters think he's guilty of the crimes he's been charged with to only 11% who believe he's innocent. Despite the fact that he's already been convinced in the court of public opinion, 59% of North Carolinians still think he can get a fair trial in the state to only 24% who think he can not.
Edwards, although still one of the most unpopular figures in the history of PPP polling, has actually seen some minor improvement in his personal image over the last year. His net favorability is -62 at 11/73...but last June it was -72 at 9/81.
-North Carolinians agree with Speaker Thom Tillis- they think gay marriage will be legal in the state 20 years from now. 45% think the state will have gay marriage a generation from now compared to 41% who think it will continue to be illegal. Independent voters are the most optimistic for gay marriage (54/29) while Democrats think it will become a reality as well (52/35). Republicans (29% legal, 56% illegal) think the status quo will still rule in a couple of decades.
-North Carolinians continue to be extremely divided when it comes to how they'll vote for the state legislature this year. 44% say they'd choose Republican candidates if the election was today while 43% lean toward Democrats. The General Assembly as a whole remains remarkably unpopular with an 18% approval rating to 53% of voters who disapprove. But even though the Republicans are in charge voter anger seems to be directed pretty strongly at both parties. The Democrats in Raleigh have a 33/45 favorability rating, only a little bit better than the GOP's 29/48 rating.
-We repeatedly found ObamaCare to be unpopular in North Carolina over the course of 2010 but voters are pretty evenly divided when it comes to the question of whether the Supreme Court should invalidate it. 41% think it should be ruled unconstitutional, 36% think it should be upheld, and 23% don't have an opinion either way.
Full results here
Tillis didn't say that gay marriage would be legal in 20 years, he said that support for the marriage amendment that is on the ballot will lack support by that time and could potentially be overturned.
Secondly, that was a fairly foolish comment for him to make anyway. It will pass with way more than 54% and will probably be on the books unless and until gay marriages are legalized at the federal level. Otherwise, I don't see it ever happening since its clear that NC does not support such a thing.
People always underestimate just how strong opposition to same-sex marriage really is.
Posted by: Betty | April 14, 2012 at 02:29 PM
I'm confused. If you are polling in NC and if you are asking about gay marriage anyway, why not poll Amendment 1?
I know that you did this at the end of March, but the election is on May 8, so an additional polling might have revealed shifts in the electorate as more voters focus on the issues or, on the other hand, confirmed the results of the previous poll.
A number of business leaders and major employers have come out against the amendment as has Obama. If you poll again before May 8, I would hope that you would poll the amendment so that we can determine whether these or other developments had an impact.
Posted by: Gerald | April 17, 2012 at 05:32 AM