“Going to Carolina”

By Martin Burns

Given that the GOP convention is at least nominally in Charlotte, I thought that now might be a good time to loop at the GOP’s fortunes in the Tar Heel state. Fortunately, Eastern Carolina released some interesting numbers last week that provide us with a good picture. The numbers show that President Trump and former Vice President Biden are tied at 47% each.

Democratic Governor Roy Cooper gets positive job performance marks (52% approve, 3% disapprove). On the other hand, President Trump gets decidedly mixed grades (47% approve, 50% disapprove). A majority of voters ages 50 to 64 (51% disapprove) and those 65 plus (54%) are not pleased with Trump’s job performance.

At the moment, it looks like North Carolinians will send Cooper back to the governor’s mansion as he leads GOP candidate Dan Forest by a 51% to 38% margin.

In what seems a surprising development, Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham leads GOP incumbent Senator Thom Tillis by a 50% to 39% margin. Worth noting that Cunningham fares best with those age 65 and over (50% Cunningham, 39% Tillis).

Things are looking up for the Democrats in North Carolina for the Democrats. Polls are, of course, just a snapshot of the electorate at the moment and a lot can change between now and Labor Day. However, I would rather be a Democratic candidate in North Carolina right now.