Poll Results: Key Statewide Races
There’s a steady drip of North Carolina polling data on the presidential and gubernatorial races. We were in the field at the end of April, and we’ll share the results of those topline contests, but we’ll also share results for contests that get less attention.
First, the headliners:
Trump (40%) is running ahead of Biden (35%) by 5 points. This is a switch from March 2023, when Biden held a slim 2 point lead.
Robinson (37%) trails Stein (44%) by 7 points. This is also a switch from March 2023, when Robinson held a 5 point lead.
Now, on to the lesser-followed candidates.
There is one Supreme Court race this year. Republicans currently hold a 5-2 advantage on the court. Barring an unforeseen vacancy, Republicans will control a majority through at least 2028, regardless of who wins this year.
Gov. Roy Cooper appointed the “incumbent,” Democrat Allison Riggs, to the court in September 2023. Prior to that, Riggs led multiple lawsuits against the Republican-controlled General Assembly on issues ranging from voter ID to redistricting.
Riggs’s Republican challenger, Jefferson Griffin, is a veteran, former prosecutor, and current Court of Appeals judge.
Republicans swept every statewide judicial race in 2020 and 2022.
Our poll showed Riggs within the margin of error with a 2 point lead and 18% undecided.
Source: Presentation by Meeting Street, CPR’s pollster
The race for Superintendent of Public Instruction took a surprise turn when Republican Michele Morrow defeated incumbent Catherine Truitt in a primary. Morrow, a former nurse and an education activist, will face Democrat Mo Green, a former district superintendent.
Morrow is a school choice supporter. She earned some unflattering headlines after the primary when controversial old social media posts resurfaced. Green vehemently opposes the Opportunity Scholarships program.
Our poll showed Green within the margin of error with a 3 point lead and 16% undecided.
Finally, on the generic legislative ballot, Republicans hold a 6-point advantage. It’s tied for the highest margin for that party since we began asking this question 10 years ago. As it stands now, the main question for this year’s legislative races is will Republicans hold onto supermajorities in both chambers.
Source: Presentation by Meeting Street, CPR’s pollster
