North Carolina Poll: Donald Trump Trails Joe Biden By Seven Points
In the state of North Carolina, President Donald Trump trails the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden by seven points, according to a Meredith College poll released on Friday.
Per The Hill, the poll shows Biden polling at 47 percent and Trump at 40 percent. Considered a battleground state, North Carolina swung Republican in 2012 and 2016. However, the state’s Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, edged out a narrow victory in 2016, which the Democrats apparently see as one of the signs the state is moving left.
According to the poll, the coronavirus pandemic has jeopardized Trump’s standing in North Carolina, with 41 percent of voters approving and 53 percent disapproving of his job performance. Prior to the pandemic, his approval rating was 45.5 percent, with 48 percent saying he has not done a good job as president. In comparison, Cooper’s approval rating is 63 percent.
The survey shows Cooper leading his Republican challenger Dan Forest by 20 points. In addition — when it comes to the 2020 United States Senate election in North Carolina — the Democratic Party has a clear advantage. Cal Cunningham is leading Republican Thom Tillis by 10 percentage points.
As David McLennan, the director of the Meredith poll, explained, the decline in Trump’s approval ratings amid the coronavirus pandemic seems to have hurt not only the president, but other Republican candidates in the state, which now appears to be leaning Democratic.
“The federal government’s response to the pandemic has caused North Carolinians to question President Trump’s job performance,” he said.
“With over six months to Election Day, Democratic candidates for major office in the state are in good position. The slide in the president’s job approval not only hurts him in the campaign against Joe Biden, but also hurts other Republican down ballot, like Senator Thom Tillis and Lt. Governor Dan Forest.”
“However, there is a lot of time for Republican candidates to improve their positions, as everyone expects North Carolina’s races to be very competitive on Election Day,” McLennan noted.
The Meredith poll seems to reflect a broader trend seen across the nation. According to a Gallup poll released earlier this week, approval of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has dropped 10 points since March. Although the vast majority of Republicans approve of the way the president has responded to the COVID-19 crisis, Democrats and independent voters seem to disagree.
Nonetheless, Biden does not appear to have a significant advantage over Trump when it comes to the 2020 presidential election. For instance, a new Hill/HarrisX poll shows the candidates virtually tied in the race for the White House.
