(The Center Square) – Democrat Josh Stein’s summer polling surge continued with Thursday’s newest release putting him 14 points ahead of Republican Mark Robinson in the race for North Carolina governor.
The High Point University/Survey USA Poll of 1,200 adults – inclusive of 1,053 registered voters – conducted Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in the first three days of the Democratic National Convention is the largest difference in the race to date. Stein led 48%-34% with 18% undecided. The credibility interval is +/- 4% “for the registered voter sample to account for a traditional 95% confidence interval for the estimates and a design effect based on the weighting,” a release says.
In the presidential race, there’s a statistical dead heat with Democrat Kamala Harris leading Republican Donald Trump 46%-45% given the credibility interval. There’s also 8% undecided.
The most important problem for presidential candidates, said the 1,053 registered voters, is improving economic conditions (27%). That was followed by managing immigration (11%), protecting Social Security and Medicare (11%), protecting democracy (10%), protecting the U.S. from foreign threats (8%), abortion laws (8%) and creating jobs (6%).
In the gubernatorial race demographics for seven most important issues, Stein scored on job creation (50%-29%), protecting Social Security and Medicare (64%-11%), protecting democracy (86%-10%) and abortion laws (74%-14%). Robinson had the edges in improving economic conditions (43%-40%), protecting the U.S. from foreign threats (58%-20%) and managing immigration (69%-21%).
Robinson, trying to become the first Black governor, scored poorly with Black women (Stein favored 68%-8%) and Black men (Stein 68%-15%). Stein also scored better with white men (45%-42%); Robinson had the edge with white women (40%-39%). Robinson had an edge in ages 18-34 (41%-33%) and Stein was clearly favored for the rest (ages 35-49, 50%-30%; ages 50-64, 50%-32%; ages 65-and-up, 60%-32%).
Asked about the right direction or wrong track for North Carolina, respondents 47%-33% said wrong track.
For the presidential election, the fact Harris had a slight lead over Trump and is next in line for President Joe Biden’s administration didn’t square up with the question “Do you think things in this country are headed in the right direction or are off on the wrong track?” Respondents 60%-25% said wrong track, and that included four age brackets decisively; and 67% of white males and females, respectively.
The 78-year-old Trump commanded the ages 18-34 respondents (53%-38%). Harris’ biggest edge was 65-and-up (51%-41%). Harris, 59, had modest leads for ages 35-49 (48%-43%) and ages 50-64 (46%-44%).
On the issues, there were no surprises. Harris had leads for protecting democracy (83%-11%), abortion laws (75%-20%) and protecting Social Security and Medicare (64%-27%). Trump had leads for managing immigration (78%-16%), protecting the U.S. from foreign threats (71%-24%), job creation (57%-30%) and improving economic conditions (56%-33%).
