Raleigh, N.C. – President Obama leads all Republican challengers in North Carolina, a new poll from Public Policy Polling finds. The President leads Mitt Romney 47-46, Rick Santorum 48-46, Newt Gingrich 50-45, and Ron Paul 47-41.
Obama’s job approval rating is nearly even, with 48% approving and 49% disapproving. This is a net +4 increase from our poll in late October which saw Obama at 45/50.
Meanwhile, all 4 Republican challengers are suffering from unfavorability ratings at 50 percent or above: Newt Gingrich is at 30/58, Ron Paul is at 24/60, Mitt Romney is at 31/56, and Rick Santorum is at 35/50.
Among always crucial independent voters, the picture is not much better for Republicans. They dislike all the Republican candidates – Gingrich has a 24/61 favorability rating among independents, Paul is at 39/46, Romney is at 31/57 and Santorum’s at 34/51.
Obama leads Gingrich among independents 52-40, leads Romney among them 48-43, and leads Santorum among them 51-42. Only Ron Paul leads Obama among independent voters, 45-43.
“Barack Obama’s approval numbers in North Carolina are the best they’ve been in months and that reflects what we’re seeing across the entire country,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “This will never be an easy state for Democrats at the Presidential level but he has a very good chance of repeating his surprise 2008 victory here.”
PPP numbers released yesterday found Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich tied as the top choice of Republican voters for their party’s nomination, with Rick Santorum running about 10 points behind.
PPP surveyed 1,052 North Carolina voters from February 3rd to 5th. The margin of error is +/-3.0%. 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 President
Barack Obama’s job performance?
Approve …………………………………………………. 48%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 49%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 3%
Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Newt Gingrich?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 30%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 58%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%
Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Ron Paul?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 24%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 60%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 16%
Q4 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Mitt Romney?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 31%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 56%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%
Q5 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Rick Santorum?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 35%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 50%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 16%
Q6 If the candidates for President this year were
Democrat Barack Obama and Republican
Newt Gingrich, who would you vote for?
Barack Obama………………………………………… 50%
Newt Gingrich …………………………………………. 45%
Undecided………………………………………………. 6%
Q7 If the candidates for President this year were
Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Ron
Paul, who would you vote for?
Barack Obama………………………………………… 47%
Ron Paul ………………………………………………… 41%
Undecided………………………………………………. 11%
Q8 If the candidates for President this year were
Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt
Romney, who would you vote for?
Barack Obama………………………………………… 47%
Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 46%
Undecided………………………………………………. 7%
Q9 If the candidates for President this year were
Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Rick
Santorum, who would you vote for?
Barack Obama………………………………………… 48%
Rick Santorum………………………………………… 46%
Undecided………………………………………………. 6%
Q10 Who did you vote for President in 2008?
John McCain…………………………………………… 47%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 47%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 6%
Q11 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 10%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 15%
Moderate………………………………………………… 29%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 24%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 22%
Q12 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 51%
Man……………………………………………………….. 49%
Q13 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 ……………………………………………….. 43%
Republican……………………………………………… 35%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 23%
Q14 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 73%
African-American …………………………………….. 22%
Other……………………………………………………… 6%
Q15 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………………………………………………….. 12%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 26%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 42%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%
Q16
252………………………………………………………… 11%
336………………………………………………………… 19%
704………………………………………………………… 21%
828………………………………………………………… 14%
910………………………………………………………… 14%
919………………………………………………………… 21%
