(The Center Square) – Roy Cooper’s polling lead over Michael Whatley is 7.8% in the latest statewide sampling.
Cooper, former two-term governor of North Carolina and immensely popular Democrat, leads 48.9%-41.1% in the survey from the Carolina Journal through Harper Polling. In the pollster’s November effort, he led the former Republican National Committee chairman 47.3%-38.6% and in September 46.1%-41.9%.
The poll released Thursday was conducted Sunday and Monday among 600 likely voters and carries a +/- 4% margin of error.
“Midterm elections are almost always a referendum on the party in the White House, and this poll shows that dynamic is alive and well in North Carolina,” said Donald Bryson, John Locke Foundation CEO and Carolina Journal publisher. “With more voters saying the country is on the wrong track and the president underwater, the environment is naturally tilting toward the out-party.”
Another race drawing attention is the only one for the North Carolina Supreme Court. Democratic incumbent Anita Earls polled ahead of state Rep. Sarah Stevens, R-Surry, 40.6%-38% – a statistical tie being within the margin of error. Democrats also led generic, not candidate specific questions for Congress and the General Assembly; congressional was beyond the margin of error, legislative was not.
In job approval, the first-term Democratic governor is popular, and the second-term Republican is not. Josh Stein is at 50.5% approval, 32.8% disapproval; Donald Trump is 53.7% disapproval, 44.8% approval. In the 2024 elections, Stein defeated Mark Robinson 54.9%-40.1%; Trump for a third time won the state’s electoral college votes, this time 50.9%-47.7% over Kamala Harris.
