(The Center Square) – Job approval by likely North Carolina voters for Gov. Josh Stein is robustly high and for President Donald Trump running just a tick better than national polling.
Stein, the first-term Democrat with eight years experience as attorney general prior, has dropped a net 15% in five months to 50.5% approving against 30.1% disapproving. In March, approval was 55.6% to 20.4% disapproving, according to a poll taken Monday and Tuesday and released Thursday by Carolina Journal in conjunction with Harper Polling.
His most significant actions in that time have been 15 vetoes and a two-year budget proposal about $2 billion higher than either chamber of the General Assembly. Eight of his vetoes have been overturned, and Friday marked the 46th day late on the spending plan.
Given choices for what Stein’s vetoes reflect, respondents said “a careful approach to policy that checks overreach by the legislative branch” (36%); “a politically motivated obstruction that blocks legislative priorities” (32.9%); and 31% were unsure.
The statewide sampling gave the second-term Republican president an approval of 47.8% and disapproval of 50.3%. In March, he was at 49.5% approval and 48.7% disapproval. Nationally this week, the RealClear Polling average for the time period of July 16 to Thursday is 45.5% approval and 51.5% disapproval.
Trump has won the state in presidential races three consecutive times.
The Carolina Journal/Harper polling of 600 likely voters’ responses were given a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of +/= 3.98%.
