Pat McCrory's firm grasp on the North Carolina governor's race continues as a new poll shows him 10 points ahead of rival Walter Dalton.
McCrory received 47 percent to Dalton's 37 percent in a survey of likely voters released Monday by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling. The results are identical to a PPP survey from Sept. 30 and indicate the first statewide TV debate and a month's worth of TV commercials did nothing to boost Dalton, the Democratic lieutenant governor.
Libertarian Barbara Howe received 5 percent and 11 percent remain undecided, the poll showed. The PPP numbers are the seventh poll since mid-September to give McCrory, a double-digit lead. Other reliable polls put the Republican ahead as much as 13 points.
The new PPP poll has a plus-or-minus 3 percentage point margin of error.
More than two-thirds of likely voters still have no opinion of Dalton, and a plurality of those who do think of him unfavorably (36 percent to 29 percent favorable).
McCrory has a 47 percent favorable rating, with 31 percent unfavorable. About one in five have no opinion.
McCrory continues to get support from 18 percent of Democrats, while Dalton wins just 7 percent of Republicans. McCrory also wins independents two to one.
