Raleigh, N.C.- The last part of PPP’s monthly
North Carolina poll revealed some useful, though rather expected, information
on the views of NC voters. First, the poll found that nearly half of the state,
49%, supports the Voting Rights Act, compared to just 23% who oppose it.
Furthermore, 52% of the state opposes the Supreme Court’s recent decision to
overturn parts of the act, while only 22% support. These opinions seem to be
spread across party lines; 62% of Democrats, 42% of Republicans, and 48% of independents
oppose the decision, while 14%, 25%, and 34% of the respective groups approve.

Opinions on background checks for all gun purchases in the Tar Heel State are
largely unchanged from when the question was last asked in May, with support
suffering a minor drop from 81% to 78%, though opposition remained at 16%.
While support for expanded background checks dropped both among Democrats (94%
to 88%) and Republicans (65% to 61%), it rose among independent and third party
voters, from 75% in May to 84%.

“We’ve
rarely found North Carolinians in as much agreement on an issue as expanded
background checks for gun purchases,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public
Policy Polling. “Richard Burr would help his standing in the state by switching
his vote when this comes back to the Senate.”

Though
Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner have been having some success reentering
politics after scandals, the poll shows that such a comeback is not as likely
for former Senator and Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards. Only 15% of
voters have a favorable opinion of Edwards, including just 21% of Democrats and
12% of independents. What’s more, only 19% of voters would consider voting for
him again under any circumstances, including only 24% of his own party.

The poll
also found that North Carolinians are divided on the New York Times, with 35%
viewing it favorably, compared to 33% with an unfavorable opinion.
Unsurprisingly, more liberal voters have a higher regard for the paper, with
58% of very liberal and 44% of somewhat liberal supporting the Times, with a
measly 12% of somewhat conservative and 6% of very conservative voters sharing
the opinion.

PPP surveyed 600 registered voters between July 12-14,
2013. The margin of error was +/- 4.0%. This poll was not authorized or paid
for by any campaign or political organization. PPP’s surveys are conducted
through automated telephone interviews.

Topline results are below.  Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.

Q1 Do you support or oppose the Voting Rights
Act?
Support ………………………………………………….. 49%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 23%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 28%

Q2 Do you support or oppose the Supreme Court’s
decision to overturn parts of the Voting Rights
Act?
Support ………………………………………………….. 22%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 52%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 26%

Q3 Would you support or oppose requiring
background checks for all gun sales, including
gun shows and the Internet?
Support ………………………………………………….. 78%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 16%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 6%

Q4 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of the New York Times?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 35%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 33%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 32%

Q5 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of John Edwards?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 15%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 67%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 19%

Q6 Would you ever consider voting for John
Edwards for any political office ever again,
under any circumstances?
Yes………………………………………………………… 19%
No …………………………………………………………. 67%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%

Q7 Would you support or oppose $50 million of
federal aid for California to recover from the
Sharknado?
Support ………………………………………………….. 11%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 55%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 34%

Q8 Would you support or oppose $50 million for
federal research into whether tornadoes can be
dissipated by throwing bombs into them?
Support ………………………………………………….. 13%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 66%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 21%

Q9 Would you support or oppose changing the
national anthem to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the
USA”?
Support ………………………………………………….. 3%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 92%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 4%

Q10 In the last presidential election, did you vote for
Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?
Barack Obama………………………………………… 48%
Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 48%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 4%

Q11 Who did you vote for Governor last year:
Walter Dalton or Pat McCrory?
Walter Dalton ………………………………………….. 41%
Pat McCrory……………………………………………. 52%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 7%

Q12 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 10%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 20%
Moderate………………………………………………… 26%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 22%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 21%

Q13 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 53%
Man……………………………………………………….. 47%

Q14 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 ……………………………………………….. 45%
Republican……………………………………………… 35%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 20%

Q15 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 77%
African-American …………………………………….. 17%
Other……………………………………………………… 5%

Q16 If you are 18 to 45 years old, press 1. If 46 to
65, press 2. If you are older than 65, press 3.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 15%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 21%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 44%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%

Q17 Area Code
252………………………………………………………… 11%
336………………………………………………………… 22%
704………………………………………………………… 18%
828………………………………………………………… 15%
910………………………………………………………… 14%
919………………………………………………………… 20%