Raleigh, N.C. – As they have become more familiar with her, South Carolina voters’ views of their new Governor Nikki Haley have slid tremendously in the last four months, but if she were to stand for election against her 2010 opponent Vincent Sheheen today, she would yet win by a slightly larger margin than she actually did last fall. 42% approve and 41% disapprove of Haley’s job performance, an 11-point decline on the margin from the 36-24 she posted when PPP last polled the state just after her inauguration.
Though she won by four points—a surprisingly close margin, considering the Republican wave and the red lean of the state—a do-over with Sheheen would result in a 48-42 win for the incumbent. Voters are no more fond of Sheheen than Haley; the Democrat’s favorables and unfavorables both fall at 27%. Haley is one of the only new Republican governors who would survive a rematch—in recent PPP polls, Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, Ohio’s John Kasich, Florida’s Rick Scott, Pennsylvania’s Tom Corbett, Michigan’s Rick Snyder, and Georgia’s Nathan Deal would all fall to the Democrats they beat. Of two Democratic governors tested so far, both have improved on their 2010 victory margins.
Out of four states in which the question has been asked, South Carolinians are the most supportive of interracial marriages. 70% think they should be legal, as they are now, and 16% illegal. In North Carolina, 68% think they should be legal; the figure is 62% in Georgia and only 54% in Mississippi. The Palmetto State is the home of Bob Jones University, which until 10 years ago banned interracial dating among students.
At 46%, South Carolinians are, however, not quite as glad that the North won the Civil War as North Carolinians (48%) or Georgians (53%), but still happier than Mississippians (34%), 27% of whom wish the South had won instead. That pro-Confederacy figure is only 21% in North Carolina, 23% in Georgia, and 24% in South Carolina. The other three states were polled in March and April, and data can be found at www.publicpolicypolling.com.
PPP surveyed 741 South Carolina voters from June 2nd to 5th. The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.6%. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews. PPP is a Democratic polling company, but polling expert Nate Silver of the New York Times found that its surveys in 2010 actually exhibited a slight bias toward Republican candidates.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of Governor
Nikki Haley’s job performance?
Approve …………………………………………………. 42%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 41%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 17%
Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Vincent Sheheen?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 27%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 27%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 46%
Q3 If you could do last fall’s election for Governor
over again would you vote for Republican Nikki
Haley or Democrat Vincent Sheheen?
Nikki Haley……………………………………………… 48%
Vincent Sheheen……………………………………… 42%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%
Q4 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator
Lindsey Graham’s job performance?
Approve …………………………………………………. 40%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 38%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 22%
Q5 Do you think Lindsey Graham is too liberal, too
conservative, or about right?
Too liberal ………………………………………………. 29%
Too conservative……………………………………… 20%
About right ……………………………………………… 40%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 11%
Q6 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Mark Sanford?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 27%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 56%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 17%
Q7 Do you think interracial marriage should be
legal or illegal?
Legal……………………………………………………… 70%
Illegal …………………………………………………….. 16%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 15%
Q8 Are you glad that the North won the Civil War
or do you wish that the South had won?
Glad the North won………………………………….. 46%
Wish the South had …………………………………. 24%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 29%
Q9 Who did you vote for President in 2008?
John McCain…………………………………………… 50%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 40%
Someone Else/Don’t Remember………………… 10%
Q10 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 9%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 16%
Moderate………………………………………………… 27%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 22%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 25%
Q11 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 57%
Man……………………………………………………….. 43%
Q12 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a
Republican, press 2. If you are an independent
or identify with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 35%
Republican……………………………………………… 43%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 22%
Q13 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 70%
African-American …………………………………….. 26%
Other……………………………………………………… 4%
Q14 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 10%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 24%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 46%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%
