Raleigh, N.C. – Tom Fetzer, Phil Berger, and Paul Stam may get a lot of tv air time spreading the word on behalf of the Republican Party, but by and large North Carolinians have no idea who they are.

90% of voters in the state say they don’t know enough about Berger or Stam to have an opinion about them, and 82% say the same of Fetzer.

For the few voters who do claim to have an opinion about the trio, it’s a negative one.  11% have an unfavorable opinion of Fetzer to 8% who see him positively. For Berger and Stam 7% have a negative view of them to 4% for the former and 3% for the latter with a favorable one.

The party breakdown on Berger and Stam’s numbers suggest that even people who have an opinion about them may not really know who they are.  Berger’s favorability with Democrats is actually slightly higher at 4% than it is with Republicans at 3%.  Stam’s is 3% with both parties.  Only Fetzer’s show a real party division- his favorability with GOP voters is a net +2 while with Democrats it’s -8.

Fetzer is just as anonymous as Berger and Stam in most of the state but has better name recognition overall because almost half of voters in the Triangle, where he once served as Mayor of Raleigh, have an opinion about him.

“There is a real void of identifiable leadership for Republicans in North Carolina,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling.  “The most visible and vocal spokesmen for their party are complete unknowns to voters in the state.”

PPP surveyed 742 North Carolina voters from April 8^th to 11^th.  The survey’s margin of error is +/-3.6%.  Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.

Complete results are attached and can be found at www.publicpolicypolling.com.

If you would like an interview regarding this release, please contact Dean Debnam at (888) 621-6988 or 919-880-4888.

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

Q1 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Phil Berger? If favorable, press 1. If
unfavorable, press 2. If you’re not sure, press
3.
Favorable……………………………………………….. 4%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 7%
Not Sure…………………………………………………. 90%

Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Tom Fetzer? If favorable, press 1. If
unfavorable, press 2. If you’re not sure, press
3.
Favorable……………………………………………….. 8%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 11%
Not Sure…………………………………………………. 82%

Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Paul Stam? If favorable, press 1. If
unfavorable, press 2. If you’re not sure, press
3.
Favorable……………………………………………….. 3%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 7%
Not Sure…………………………………………………. 90%

Q4 Who did you vote for President last year? If
John McCain, press 1. If Barack Obama, press
2. If someone else or you don’t remember,
press 3.
McCain…………………………………………………… 49%
Obama…………………………………………………… 48%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 3%

Q5 Would you describe yourself as a liberal,
moderate, or conservative? If liberal, press 1. If
moderate, press 2. If conservative, press 3.
Liberal ……………………………………………………. 17%
Moderate………………………………………………… 39%
Conservative…………………………………………… 44%

Q6 Would you describe the community you live in
as urban, suburban, rural, or a small town? If
urban, press 1. If suburban, press 2. If rural,
press 3. If a small town, press 4.
Urban…………………………………………………….. 14%
Suburban ……………………………………………….. 28%
Rural ……………………………………………………… 28%
Small Town…………………………………………….. 30%

Q7 If you are a woman, press 1, if a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 56%
Man……………………………………………………….. 44%

Q8 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If you are a
Republican, press 2. If you are an independent
or identify with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 47%
Republican……………………………………………… 35%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 17%

Q9 If you are white, press one now. If you are
African-American, press two now. If other,
press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 75%
African-American …………………………………….. 22%
Other………………………………………………………… 3%

Q10 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1 now. If
you are 30 to 45, press 2. If you are 46 to 65,
press 3. If older, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 8%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 25%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 45%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 22%

Q11
252………………………………………………………… 15%
336………………………………………………………… 20%
704………………………………………………………… 24%
828………………………………………………………… 14%
910………………………………………………………… 11%
919………………………………………………………… 17%