Raleigh, N.C. – At one time, John Edwards was the least popular person on which PPP
had ever polled. That was in January 2010, when 15% of North Carolinians had a
favorable impression of him, and 72% an unfavorable one. In the wake of Edwards’
indictment on campaign finance charges, that has fallen to a 9-81 margin. Rod
Blagojevich polled at 83% unfavorability in Illinois last year, in the midst of his own
legal troubles. But it is safe to say Edwards is still among the least liked public figures in
America right now, perhaps more than ever before.

Despite their distaste for him, however, North Carolinians are not entirely convinced the charges against him are true. 52% do believe him to be guilty, and only 16% innocent, but 32% are not sure, and that 52% is a steep drop from the 81% who do not like him as a person. Respondents were not told the nature of the charges, so much of guilty sentiment could be related to his marital infidelity and other personal matters.

By almost a 2:1 margin, the state’s voters are against the Paul Ryan Medicare proposal.
Without Ryan’s name or party mentioned, 47% of voters are opposed to seniors receiving a voucher for private insurance, with only 24% in support. At 17-61, Democrats are starkly against the plan, as are independents (22-40), but even Republicans fall only 35-33 in support. Seniors are the most opposed, with only 18% supporting and 56% opposing the Ryan plan. But the youngest voters, those who would be affected by the plan in 25 years or so, are also very much against it, 24-52.

North Carolinians are not evidently worried, however, about the prospect of a U.S.
default on its debt and the ensuing economic calamity. Only 31% support raising the
debt ceiling, while 49% oppose it. Democrats support raising it by only a 46-31 margin,
while independents mirror the overall results, and Republicans, who have been clamoring against raising it, side 11-72 in opposition to raising the ceiling.

PPP surveyed 563 North Carolina voters from June 8th to 11th. The margin of error for the survey is +/-4.1%. 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 A proposal has been made which would
change Medicare into a program which would
provide seniors with vouchers that pay a fixed
amount of the cost of private insurance. Do you
support or oppose this proposal?
Support ………………………………………………….. 24%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 47%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 28%

Q2 In the current debate over raising the debt
ceiling, proponents of raising the ceiling argue
that not raising the ceiling could lead to default
on government debt and cause economic
disruption while opponents argue that raising
the ceiling could result in a greater
accumulation of debt. Do you support or
oppose raising the debt ceiling?
Support ………………………………………………….. 31%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 49%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 20%

Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of John Edwards?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 9%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 81%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%

Q4 Do you think John Edwards is guilty or innocent
of the crimes he was charged with last week?
Guilty …………………………………………………….. 52%
Innocent …………………………………………………. 16%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 32%

Q5 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 9%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 17%
Moderate………………………………………………… 31%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 27%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 17%

Q6 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 54%
Man……………………………………………………….. 46%

Q7 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 ……………………………………………….. 47%
Republican……………………………………………… 36%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 16%

Q8 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 71%
African-American …………………………………….. 23%
Other……………………………………………………… 6%

Q9 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………………………………………………….. 28%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 42%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%