Aug. 31, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jim Tynen (919) 834-2099
James.Tynen@NCCivitas.org
Raleigh, N.C. – The newest Civitas Poll shows Republican Pat McCrory with a solid lead over Democratic Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton in the gubernatorial race among unaffiliated North Carolina voters , 46 percent to 29 percent. Libertarian Barbara Howe was the choice of 10 percent.
The poll was conducted Aug. 20-21, and surveyed 400 voters registered as unaffiliated in North Carolina. The poll had a margin of error of plus/minus 4.9 percent.
Unaffiliated voters, also known as independents, are the fastest growing segment of the state’s electorate. They now account for 25 percent of North Carolina voters.
Asked if they had favorable or unfavorable views of McCrory, 45 percent of the unaffiliated voters had a favorable view, and 24 percent had an unfavorable view. Dalton’s rating was 23 percent favorable/20 percent unfavorable. As important, 29 percent had no opinion of the lieutenant governor, and 27 had not heard of him. “Many voters just don’t know who Walter Dalton is,” Civitas President Francis X. De Luca said.
Democratic President Obama and GOP candidate Mitt Romney were in a dead heat, with each supported by 45 percent of the respondents in the August Civitas Poll of unaffiliated voters.
Full text of question:
[civitas_poll id=”2012_08″ question=”presvote_2012″]
[civitas_poll id=”2012_08″ question=”govvote_2012″]
Now I am going to read you a list of people active in politics. After I read each name, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of that person. If you have never heard of them just tell me and we’ll go on to the next one.
[civitas_poll id=”2012_08″ question=”mccrory_fav”]
[civitas_poll id=”2012_08″ question=”dalton_fav”]
Commentary by political consultant Brad Crone available here.
Crosstabs available soon.
About the Poll:
This poll of 400 registered, unaffiliated 2012 general election voters in North Carolina was conducted Aug. 20-21, 2012 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered 2012 general election voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past three general elections (2006, 2008, 2010) or be newly registered to vote since November 2, 2010.
The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4.9% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in at least one of the past three general elections or is newly registered since November 2, 2010.
The Civitas Poll is the only regular live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina. For more information on Civitas polling, see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.
Information on future polls will be available at Civitas Poll Lunches in the near future.
More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at (919) 834-2099.
Please include Gary Johnson in your next poll. NC is a ‘swing state’, so leaving out the ONLY ‘third party’ balloted candidate seems like a monumental oversight, especially when polling NC’s 1/4 unaffiliated voters.
Thanks!
Why isn’t Gary Johnson on the presidential ballot? I have to thank you for placing Barbara Howe in the poll. I happen to know her, and she will make a great governor. Her presence begs the question, why are not both Libertarian candidates in the poll? Had I been polled, I would have been classified as refused, but not because I refused to give you a true answer, but because there was not an answer that was true, for me to give! Let voters tell you who they plan to vote for in the upcoming election. Give them all the options, that the state will on the ballot.
Johnson is on the ballot and voters should be given a chance to hear all options. I insist you include Johnson!
Why have you not included Gary Johnson in this poll? Do you like having inaccurate polls? Do you like being perceived as a biased polling organization by the exclusion of Gary Johnson from your polls?
Perhaps you should have a press release explaining your bias against the inclusion of Gary Johnson in your polls.
Governor Gary Johnson is a Legit candidate for President. He could actually become the next President of the USA, but the media continue to ignore the message of limited government and maximum freedom.