Raleigh, N.C. – As the public turns against Republican legislators and sides with the Democrats on their budget priorities, they are more and more seeing Governor Perdue in a positive light. Her approval rating continues to creep upwards, now at 36%, with 47% disapproving, her best approval-disapproval margin in six months.
At the same time, voters’ views of Perdue’s likely 2012 opponent Pat McCrory continue to slide. In March, his favorability rating was 12 points higher than his unfavorability rating. That margin has fallen all the way to one in three months, with 30% seeing him positively and 29% negatively. The biggest change has come with Democrats (from -14 to -28) and independents, who still see him favorably, but only by four points, versus 12 in March.
Accordingly, Perdue’s deficit to McCrory has more than halved in three months, falling from 14 points in March to 11 in April to seven last month to only six now, as she trails him 45-39.
McCrory’s support with Democrats has dropped significantly in the last month, from 23% to 16%, still a healthy level of crossover support, when 2008 exit polls showed him getting only 9% of Perdue’s party, the same she got of Republicans. This trend is good news for the governor, but it remains her biggest weakness, since Democrats make up almost half of the electorate. But she has room to gain, since roughly twice as many Democrats and independents are undecided as Republicans. Perdue trails by 12 points with independents, but she won her current term while still losing them by over 20 points.
“Governor Perdue has been the biggest political winner of this legislative session,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “Voters are now giving her a second look after seeing the Republican alternative.”
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 Do you approve or disapprove of Governor Bev
Perdue’s job performance?
Approve…………….. 36%
Disapprove………… 47%
Not sure ……………. 17%
Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Pat McCrory?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 30%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 29%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 42%
Q3 If the candidates for Governor next year were
Democrat Bev Perdue and Republican Pat
McCrory, who would you vote for?
Bev Perdue…………………………………………….. 39%
Pat McCrory……………………………………………. 45%
Undecided………………………………………………. 16%
Q4 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator
Richard Burr’s job performance?
Approve ……………… 35%
Disapprove………….. 38%
Not sure ……………… 27%
Q5 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator Kay
Hagan’s job performance?
Approve ……………… 39%
Disapprove………….. 39%
Not sure ……………… 22%
Q6 Do you have more faith in Governor Perdue or
Legislative Republicans to lead the state?
Governor Perdue …………………………………….. 42%
Legislative Republicans ……………………………. 40%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 18%
Q7 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%
Q8 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 54%
Man……………………………………………………….. 46%
Q9 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%
Q10 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 71%
African-American …………………………………….. 23%
Other……………………………………………………… 6%
Q11 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%
Q12
252………………………………………………………… 11%
336………………………………………………………… 19%
704………………………………………………………… 19%
828………………………………………………………… 16%
910………………………………………………………… 16%
919………………………………………………………… 19%
