(The Center Square) – Republican Michael Whatley in one month cut more than half his deficit to Democrat Roy Cooper in polling by the Carolina Journal released Thursday afternoon.
Whatley, former chairman of both the Republican National Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party, trails Cooper 46.1%-41.9% a month after the difference was 47.3%-39.1% by the same pollster. Cooper is the former two-term governor and four-term state attorney general.
The sampling had 3.6% say someone else, and 8.4% were unsure.
The duo is expected to set a spending record for a U.S. Senate seat, with estimates this week having grown from a range of $500 million to $750 million, to exceeding $1 billion. They are competing for the seat of Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican finishing his second term.
Carolina Journal did the polling with Harper Polling, getting 600 likely voters to respond on Sunday and Monday. The margin of error is +/- 3.98%.
Major news events taken in by voters in between the time of sampling in August and September are school shootings in Minnesota and Colorado; the stabbing death of a woman on a Charlotte light rail train and subsequent police release of the video; and the shooting death of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
The sampling had 20 more people who voted for second-term Republican President Donald Trump (290, or 48.3%) than Democratic then-Vice President Kamala Harris (270, or 45%) in the November election.
The sampling included:
• Rising political violence concerns were cited by 94.9%, with 3.8% saying they are not concerned. On another question, 93.4% said it is never acceptable to have violence or assassination attempts against political leaders or public figures for which people disagree. The blame for rising political violence was given to politicians and elected officials (34.8%) and the media (26.8%) ahead of activist groups and protest movements (16%) and social media companies (14.1%).
• On a question of supporting or opposing holding judges responsible when they release repeat criminal offenders who go on to commit violent crimes such as murder, the respondents were 73.7% in support and 19.4% opposed.
• The sampling found 25.8% in belief judges giving light sentences and releasing repeat criminal offenders “is the main cause of violent crime in North Carolina.” Economic hardship or poverty (15.6%) and mental illness and lack of treatment (15.5%) were the next choices.
• On Medicaid support or opposition to work and education requirements for able-bodied, childless adults to receive benefits, with exemptions for disability, caregiving or pregnancy, respondents were 71.9% in favor and 15.4% in opposition.
• Issue that matters most unsurprisingly is the cost of living and inflation (29.1%), followed second by political party of the candidate (17.9%). Immigration and border security was third at 10.3% just ahead of jobs and economy (10.2%). Health care (8.1%) completed the top five.
• Job approval of Trump is 49.4% and disapproval is 49%. That is a marker change from August when 47.8% approved and 50.3% disapproved.
• Job approval of first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein is 50.5% and disapproval is 31.1%. That’s little change from August (50.5% approve, 30.1% disapprove).
• Fifty-two percent said Trump is more responsible for the economy today than former President Joe Biden (28.9%).
