Beverly Perdue has opened up a wider lead.

According to a recent survey by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee had 46 percent support, Republican Pat McCrory had 37 percent and Libertarian Mike Munger had six percent.

Eleven percent were undecided.

Perdue's support was higher than in previous polls by the firm and others, where she has barely edged McCrory. Pollsters said that could be due to former rival Richard Moore's recent endorsement.

"Some of Richard Moore’s former supporters who may have contemplated crossing over to support McCrory appear to be heading back toward the Democratic camp," said president Dean Debnam.

The autoamted survey of 823 likely voters was taken July 23-27. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's lead narrowed slightly.

According to a recent survey by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, the Salisbury Republican got 49 percent, Democratic rival Kay Hagan got 40 percent and Libertarian Chris Cole four percent.

Seven percent were undecided.

Though Dole is ahead, she's lost a little ground compared to other recent polls, a change attributed by pollsters to advertising.

"Elizabeth Dole got a bump when she went on the air in late May, but that has largely dissipated," said firm owner Dean Debnam in a statement. "With the news in the last week that the DSCC plans to make a considerable expenditure on Hagan’s behalf, this race could end up being closer than previously anticipated."

The automated survey of 823 likely voters was taken July 23-27. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. 

The presidential race is in a holding pattern.

According to a recent survey by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain had 47 percent, Democrat Barack Obama had 44 percent and Libertarian Bob Barr had three percent.

Six percent were undecided. 

That matches polls taken since mid-May, all of which have put McCain marginally ahead of Obama.

Obama leads handily among black voters and respondents most concerned with the economy or the war in Iraq, but trails among white voters.

"If North Carolina voters choose on immigration or moral and family values, John McCain is going to win a big victory here," said polling firm owner Dean Debnam. "But if voters increasingly put the economy foremost when deciding who to vote for, Democrats are going to have the best shot they’ve had in quite a long time."

The automated survey of 823 likely voters was taken July 23-27. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Just 27 percent of North Carolina’s likely voters approve of Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, according to a new survey from Public Policy Polling out today.

Another 26 percent disapprove of his work, Barb Barrett reports.

Nearly half the respondents, 46 percent, said they were ambivalent about Burr, of Winston-Salem ,saying they "aren’t sure" their opinion of the first-term senator.

Public Policy Polling president Dean Debnam said this indicates Burr could be vulnerable in his re-election race in two years.

"Incumbency is a powerful force, but much less so when an elected official is not all that well known," Debnam said in a statement. "The high level of ambiguity toward Burr shows that in his first term he has not done much to enter into the public consciousness. That makes him a lot more vulnerable to a challenge in two years than a sitting office holder would normally otherwise be."

According to the survey, 13 percent of Democrats and 23 percent of Independents approved of Burr. His approval rating among Republicans was 48 percent.

Burr spokesman Chris Walker found the silver lining in the survey.

"A 26 percent disapproval rating is pretty good," Walker said. "This just goes to show we need to do more to show the good things we’re doing in Congress."

The polling firm surveyed 507 likely voters June 16-17. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.

The governor's race remains close.

According to a recent survey by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beverly Perdue had 42 percent, Republican rival Pat McCrory had 41 percent and Libertarian Mike Munger had five percent.

Twelve percent were undecided.

The numbers match a recent poll by the conservative Civitas Institute, which also showed a tight race.

"These races aren’t likely to see a whole lot of movement until we move into the fall campaign season," said president Dean Debnam in a statement. It’s likely to be a quiet summer."

The automated survey of 1,048 likely voters was held June 26-29. It has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

John McCain continues to lead against Barack Obama.

In a survey by the Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee had 45 percent, while the Democrat had 41 percent and Libertarian Bob Barr had 5 percent. Nine percent were undecided.

The numbers mostly line up with previous polls by the conservative Civitas Institute and Rasmussen Reports, despite a patriotic-themed ad that began airing around the time of this survey.

"The race continues to be tight in North Carolina," said president Dean Debnam in a statement. "This may not be the year Democrats win the Presidential contest here, but the data showing Obama leading among non-natives is an indication that this state could become bluer as more and more people move here in the coming years."

The automated survey of 1,048 likely voters was done June 26-29. It has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Fred Smith is cutting into Pat McCrory's lead.

According to a recent tracking poll by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, McCrory is ahead by five points with 36 percent, followed by Smith at 31 percent in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

Bill Graham had 6 percent; Bob Orr, 5 percent; and Elbie Powers, 1 percent. Twenty-one percent were undecided.

"It seems pretty clear that Fred Smith's attacks on Pat McCrory are starting to have an effect,” said president Dean Debnam in a statement. "The question now is whether they may have started too late."

The automated survey of 622 likely Republican primary voters was conducted on April 26-27. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Barack Obama has a 20-point lead in a new poll.

The weekly tracking poll by Public Policy Polling shows the Democratic presidential candidate at 54 percent, followed by Hillary Clinton at 33 percent.

Thirteen percent were undecided.

That puts his lead consistently in the 18- to 21-point range in polls by the Democratic firm.

"The race in North Carolina has really stabilized," said president Dean Debnam in a statement. "Even with both candidates now running TV ads in the state, Obama is maintaining his lead in that solid 20 point range."

The automated telephone survey of 928 likely Democratic primary voters was done on April 5th and 6th. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percent.

The president of Public Policy Polling is a reliable Democratic donor.

In recent years, Dean Debnam has given thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates for state legislature, governor and U.S. Senate, according to campaign finance records.

His money has gone to local candidates for state office and some Democratic leaders.

He's given $2,000 apiece to state Sen. Janet Cowell and state House candidate Greer Beaty; $1,500 to state Rep. Deborah Ross; $1,250 to state House candidate Ed Ridpath; and $1,000 to Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight and state Rep. Grier Martin, among other donations.

He's also made sizable donations in years past to Govs. Mike Easley and Jim Hunt, U.S. Sen. John Edwards, Attorney General Roy Cooper and state House speaker Jim Black. 

In all, he's given at least $14,400 to state candidates in the past decade. (Figures in city and county races were not readily available.)

Debnam started the Democratic polling firm in 2002 as a side business. His regular job is as the chief executive officer at Workplace Options, a Raleigh consulting firm.

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory is leading the pack pursuing the Republican nomination for governor, according to the latest survey by Public Policy Polling.

PPP, a Democratic firm, surveyed 744 likely Republican primary voters on March 29-30. It found that 35 percent of those surveyed preferred McCrory, while 23 percent favored state Sen. Fred Smith of Clayton. Salisbury lawyer Bill Graham and former state Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr both came in at 7 percent.

The margin of error was plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

More than a quarter of those surveyed - 28 percent - are still undecided.

"Pat McCrory has been running the most aggressive media campaign in the Republican primary," said Dean Debnam, president of PPP. "With five weeks left until the primary the other candidats need to start spending some serious money if they want to keep pace."