Burr 39, Shuler 28

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr fared better in another poll.

The Winston-Salem Republican beat U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler in a hypothetical matchup for the 2010 Senate race done by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm in Raleigh.

Burr had 39 percent; Shuler, 28. 

Dean Debnam, president of the polling firm, argued that the results were pretty good for Shuler.

"Heath Shuler trails Richard Burr in this initial poll, but the two most telling things are Burr's continued low approval rating and Shuler's significant popularity in the part of the state where he is well known to the voters," he said in a statement.

A survey last month showed Attorney General Roy Cooper beating Burr, 39-34; while a poll for the liberal Web site Daily Kos showed Burr winning, 45-43.

Polling this early in an election cycle is often not predictive, however, because none of the Democrats are officially running and no advertising has been done.

The automated phone survey of 650 North Carolina voters was taken Jan. 17-18. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.