In 2008, President Obama became the first Democratic presidential nominee to win North Carolina since the mid-1970s. And according to a newly released PPP survey, he’s well-positioned once again in this historically red state.
The early survey shows Obama faring well against Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich, while hanging close with Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. The survey finds:
- Obama leading Palin 48%-43%
- Obama ahead of Gingrich 46%-45%
- Obama and Romney tied at 44%-44%
- Huckabee leading Obama 48%-44%
When PPP surveyed North Carolina Republicans on the 2012 GOP primary a few weeks ago, Gingrich topped all potential nominees, though Romney, Huckabee and Palin have polled better in other states.
Last week, PPP found the president leading each of these potential Republican contenders in Virginia by at least five points.
Considering “these results come among an electorate that voted for McCain by four points—less Republican-friendly than 2010 but still more so than 2008,” the pollster concludes that it is “encouraging for President Obama that so soon after some wrote his political obituary, he is already looking just as strong in North Carolina and Virginia as he did in 2008. The remarkable thing is he is doing this well while still losing independents, unlike in 2008.”
The latest survey’s margin of error is ±4.3 percentage points.
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