73 percent in North Carolina poll say US on wrong track

Nearly three-quarters of North Carolina voters say the United States is on the wrong track, as President Biden and the Democrats eye the state as a potential flip opportunity in November’s election.

The High Point University (HPU) poll found 73 percent of North Carolina voters say the country is on the wrong track, while just 33 percent approved of Biden’s job performance. The poll also found 43 percent of voters would vote for the Republican presidential candidate if the election were held today, 40 percent would vote for the Democratic presidential candidate and 7 percent would vote for another party.

“As the 2024 election year begins, voters are closely divided on their preferences for elected offices in North Carolina,” said Martin Kifer, chair of HPU’s Department of Political Science and director of the HPU poll. “Registered voters are telling us that some of the same issues are most important this year as last, with inflation, national security and school safety at the top of the list.”

Former President Trump narrowly clinched the battleground state in the 2020 election, beating Biden by fewer than 100,000 votes. Elections in North Carolina have grown relatively close in recent years, as Democrats look to make an effort to take the state in the 2024 elections.

Former President Obama won North Carolina in 2008, but Republicans have won the presidential elections in the state since. A new redistricting plan approved last year is also likely to favor North Carolina Republicans running for the U.S. House in November.

Still, North Carolina voters appeared split on whether they would vote for the Republican or Democratic candidate for the U.S. Congress, with 44 percent in the HPU poll saying they would vote for the Republican Party’s candidate if the elections were held today and 41 percent saying they were more likely to vote for the Democrat.

The poll was conducted via an online survey Jan. 16-26 among 1,042 respondents. The credibility interval for the total sample is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.