NC State Politics Poll

North Carolinians are unhappy with many of the actions the Republican controlled state government has taken over the last month, and its poll numbers are suffering for it. Here's the rundown:

-Only 11% of voters support the pay raises Pat McCrory gave to his cabinet, to 82% of voters opposed to them. Even Republicans oppose them by a 75/14 margin.

-Only 39% of voters support cutting benefits for unemployed workers to $350 a week, while 50% are opposed to that change. And just 41% favor reducing the time period during which workers can receive benefits by six weeks to 48% who are opposed. Independents are opposed to the actions the legislature has taken on both counts.

-32% of voters disagree with the comments McCrory recently made about higher education in the state to 26% who agree. In the Triangle, where voters were much more familiar with his statements, 44% of voters disagree with McCrory to 30% who agree.

As a result of all this McCrory's honeymoon is wearing off a little bit. His approval has dropped from a +26 spread at 45/19 to a +14 one at 47/33. Democrats were initially willing to give him a chance- in January his approval with them broke even at 26%. But after his first month in office his disapproval with them has nearly doubled to 51%.

While McCrory remains decently popular, voters give the Republican controlled state government as a whole a 40% approval rating, with 49% of voters disapproving. It's at 35/49 with independents. The overall poor numbers for state government are probably due to the unpopularity of legislative Republicans- only 33% of voters have a favorable opinion of them to 49% with a negative one. Democrats lead the generic legislative ballot at 45/44.

Other notes from North Carolina:

-North Carolinians support an assault weapons ban by a 51/41 margin and more broadly favor stricter gun laws by a 54/40 spread. Both of those things come despite the NRA having a narrowly positive 45/42 favorability rating in the state.

-PPP's first look at gay marriage in the state since last May finds a 4% increase in support. 38% of voters think it should be legal to 54% who think it should not. The last time we asked about this issue the spread was 34/58. 63% of voters now at least support civil unions for same sex couples to only 37% opposed to any kind of legal recognition. That's up from 55% support for civil unions last spring.

-North Carolinians remained closely divided on President Obama as he visited the state today. 48% approve of him to 50% who disapprove, numbers that mirror last fall's election results almost perfectly.

Full results here

Comments

[John Kinney]

All this was totally predictable before the election. So why did so many people vote for Republicans?