A Democratic firm released a polling memo on the day Pat McCrory enters the governor's race suggesting his major liability is being linked to the unpopular Republican legislature.
Public Policy Polling, based in Raleigh, shows McCrory with a significant advantage against a long list of potential Democratic candidates -- in part because "he has an unusual level of popularity with Democrats and independents," writes pollster Tom Jensen. (His favorability sits at 57 to 31 percent.)
But in a separate survey conducted for Progress NC, a liberal advocacy group, 57 percent of voters said they were less likely to vote for McCrory after being told he supported the state budget that led to teachers losing jobs. A similar result came when voters knew McCrory voted early childhood education cuts. The wording of the questions is, well, questionable -- but it provides a window into the efficacy of a line of attack against McCrory that Democrats are likely to exploit.
The legislature's approval rating sits at 16 percent.
The PPP poll also found that voters are split on Gov. Bev Perdue's proposal to increase the sales tax to boost education funding. The 47 to 43 percent advantage in favor falls within the poll's 4 percentage point margin of error. For more polling numbers, click here.
