North Carolina Democrat Josh Stein has widened his lead over Republican Mark Robinson in one of the year's most closely watched gubernatorial races, touted as a pivotal figurehead for the 2024 presidential election. Looking.
A new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows Mr. Stein, the state's attorney general, has an approval rating of 52% among registered voters, followed by Mr. Robinson, the lieutenant governor, at 44%.
The figure compares to the 2 percentage point Mr. Stein held over Mr. Robinson in the previous two polls conducted in early March, as both candidates compete to replace term-limited Gov. Roy Cooper (D). Much better than Reed.
The Tar Heel State will be in the spotlight this year, largely due to how competitive it has been over the past few election cycles.
Robinson's supporter, Donald Trump, defeated Joe Biden in the last presidential election by less than 1.5 percentage points. And of this year's 11 gubernatorial races, North Carolina is one of only two states (along with New Hamsfire) rated as unexpected by political forecasters.
Preparing to vote: See who's running for president and compare their positions on important issues with our voter guide
Since the Super Tuesday primary on March 5, both Democrats and Republicans have been telegraphing their 2024 campaign plans.
Mr. Robinson relentlessly brings up immigration, crime, and Mr. Biden, who has a net minus 22% job approval rating in the state, according to a Quinnipiac poll.
Democrats have made numerous claims, including calling former first lady Michelle Obama a man, Beyoncé a “hater,” and school shooting victims “media whores” who support gun control. The focus is on Mr. Robinson for his inflammatory comments.
Even some Republican officials have warned that Mr. Robinson's coarse language and political style could turn off some voters. Among independents, for example, Mr. Stein leads Mr. Robinson by 9 percentage points in a head-to-head race, according to opinion polls.
But for now, the Quinnipiac survey, which asked voters to rate their integrity, shared values, leadership skills, and whether they care about average North Carolinians, found that Republican candidates It turned out that the score was virtually the same as Mr.
“The gubernatorial race represents a striking contrast in values, experiences and messages, with Democrats leading by just a single digit,” Tim Malloy, a Quinnipiac University polling analyst, said in a statement. Stated.
Trump and Biden are effectively tied. RFK Jr. in double digits
Democrats have been eager to win North Carolina back into their fold for the White House since then-candidate Barack Obama last won the state in 2008. In each presidential election since then, the state has been decided by less than 4 percentage points.
Quinnipiac's race is a close one, with Trump holding 48% and Biden 46%, effectively tied within the poll's 2.6% margin of error.
Similar to the pattern in other battleground states, Biden's approval rating declines when the presidential field includes third-party candidates.
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Among voters with independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein on the ballot, Mr. Trump has a 41% approval rating, while Mr. Biden has a 38% approval rating. It became.
According to the poll, Mr. Kennedy performed best among this group, winning 12%, while Mr. West and Mr. Stein both received 3% support.
Most North Carolina voters support abortion access
North Carolina, like the rest of the country, is grappling with the fallout from the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Last summer, North Carolina's Republican supermajority passed a 12-week abortion ban with limited exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and death of the mother, but the state's current Democratic governor has vetoed it with a veto pen. I tried to resist and failed.
Supporters on both sides of the reproductive health debate told USA Today that it could be a deciding factor in this year's election, and the Quinnipiac results could tip Stein and the Democratic Party in favor.
The poll found that 63% of voters think abortion should be legal, including 36% who say it should be legal in most cases. This is more than double the 30% who think abortion should be banned, including 22% who say it should be illegal in most cases.
According to the survey, when it comes to what North Carolinians care about, the economy ranked highest among voters in the Tar Heel State at 27%, followed by preserving America's democracy at 16% and education at 13%. There is.