Could Dean Smith beat Sen. Elizabeth Dole?
The legendary UNC-Chapel Hill basketball coach did better against the Republican incumbent than any of the Democrats tested so far except Gov. Mike Easley.
That's according to the latest poll from Democratic firm Public Policy Polling. It found that in a Smith-Dole matchup, 41 percent would vote for her and 35 percent for him. Twenty-four percent were undecided.
(No crosstabs were available on N.C. State fans polled. Duke fans, however, favored Frank Lautenberg.)
To add fuel to a rather tiresome fire, the poll also showed Dole with a 45 percent approval rating and a 40 percent disapproval rating.
More after the jump.
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Pollsters also tested Rep. Grier Martin as a contender against Dole. Martin has said he's considering a run.
When tested on name and title only, Dole garnered 45 percent to Martin's 30 percent, with 25 percent of voters undecided.
When given an extensive biography of Martin, the numbers rose to 47 percent for Martin and 40 percent for Dole.
Still, that could be misleading, since no comparable biography was given for Dole, and the wording was extremely favorable towards Martin:
Grier Martin is a two-term state legislator who lives in Raleigh with his wife and daughter. He is a lawyer, Sunday School teacher, and serves in the U.S. Army Reserves. After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, Martin volunteered for active duty and served in Afghanistan. In the state house, Martin has worked to make government more ethical by co-sponsoring lobbying reform legislation.
The poll of 662 likely general election voters on Sept. 18 had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.75 percent.
