North Carolina Governor
North Carolina Snapshot
RCP Senate Ranking: Toss UpSenate Race: Hagan (D) vs. Dole (R)*
Governor Race: Perdue (D) vs. McCrory (R)
Presidential Race: Obama (D) vs. McCain (R)
Competitive House Races: NC-8
Key 2006 State Races: NC-11
2004 President: Kerry (D) vs. Bush (R)
Polling Data
| Poll | Date | Sample | McCrory (R) | Perdue (D) | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Results | -- | -- | 46.9 | 50.3 | Perdue +3.4 |
| RCP Average | 10/22 - 11/2 | -- | 45.0 | 47.0 | Perdue +2.0 |
| SurveyUSA | 10/30 - 11/2 | 682 LV | 47 | 48 | Perdue +1 |
| Research 2000 | 10/28 - 10/30 | 600 LV | 44 | 49 | Perdue +5 |
| Associated Press/GfK | 10/22 - 10/26 | 601 LV | 44 | 44 | Tie |
Race Summary
The popular Mike Easley was term limited. Running to keep the governorship in Democratic hands was Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue and Treasurer Richard Moore. Perdue came out of the primary with a 16-point victory over Moore.
The Democratic primary campaign was matched in competitiveness on the GOP side. Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, the favorite among national Republicans, finished with a 46%-37% win over state Sen. Fred Smith. Also running on the GOP side was ex-NC Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr and businessman Bill Graham.
The general election will likely be a close match between Perdue and McCrory. Early general election polls showed the two running even.
Previous Elections
Governor
2004: Easley 56, Ballantine 43
2000: Easley 52, Vinroot 46
President
2004: Bush 56, Kerry 44
2000: Bush 56, Gore 43
1996: Dole 49, Clinton 44
Demographics
Occupation: Blue Collar 29.7% | White Collar 56.0% | Gray Collar 14.3%
Race: White 70.2% | Black 21.4 % | Hispanic 4.7% | Asian 1.4%
Polling Data
| Poll | Date | Sample | McCrory (R) | Perdue (D) | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Results | -- | -- | 46.9 | 50.3 | Perdue +3.4 |
| RCP Average | 10/22 - 11/2 | -- | 45.0 | 47.0 | Perdue +2.0 |
| PPP (D) | 10/31 - 11/2 | 2100 LV | 48 | 49 | Perdue +1 |
| SurveyUSA | 10/30 - 11/2 | 682 LV | 47 | 48 | Perdue +1 |
| Research 2000 | 10/28 - 10/30 | 600 LV | 44 | 49 | Perdue +5 |
| Civitas/TelOpinion (R) | 10/27 - 10/29 | 600 LV | 43 | 45 | Perdue +2 |
| PPP (D) | 10/25 - 10/26 | 1038 LV | 44 | 47 | Perdue +3 |
| Associated Press/GfK | 10/22 - 10/26 | 601 LV | 44 | 44 | Tie |
| Mason-Dixon | 10/22 - 10/24 | 800 LV | 44 | 46 | Perdue +2 |
| Rasmussen | 10/23 - 10/23 | 700 LV | 51 | 47 | McCrory +4 |
| WSOC-TV | 10/20 - 10/21 | 500 LV | 44 | 44 | Tie |
| SurveyUSA | 10/18 - 10/20 | 627 LV | 46 | 43 | McCrory +3 |
| Civitas/TelOpinion (R) | 10/18 - 10/20 | 600 LV | 43 | 43 | Tie |
| PPP (D) | 10/18 - 10/19 | 1200 LV | 44 | 48 | Perdue +4 |
| Research 2000 | 10/14 - 10/15 | LV | 43 | 48 | Perdue +5 |
| PPP (D) | 10/11 - 10/12 | 1196 LV | 44 | 45 | Perdue +1 |
| Civitas/TelOpinion (R) | 10/6 - 10/8 | 600 LV | 43 | 41 | McCrory +2 |
| WSOC-TV | 10/6 - 10/7 | 500 LV | 43 | 46 | Perdue +3 |
| SurveyUSA | 10/5 - 10/6 | 617 LV | 46 | 45 | McCrory +1 |
| PPP (D) | 10/4 - 10/5 | 1202 LV | 43 | 46 | Perdue +3 |
| Rasmussen | 9/30 - 9/30 | 700 LV | 50 | 46 | McCrory +4 |
| PPP (D) | 9/27 - 9/28 | 1041 LV | 44 | 41 | McCrory +3 |
| Civitas/TelOpinion (R) | 9/17 - 9/20 | 600 LV | 43 | 41 | McCrory +2 |
| PPP (D) | 9/17 - 9/19 | 1060 LV | 43 | 44 | Perdue +1 |
| Research 2000 | 9/8 - 9/10 | 600 LV | 47 | 42 | McCrory +5 |
| PPP (D) | 9/9 - 9/9 | 626 LV | 40 | 41 | Perdue +1 |
| SurveyUSA | 9/6 - 9/8 | 671 LV | 49 | 41 | McCrory +8 |
| Democracy Corps (D) | 8/20 - 8/26 | 852 LV | 46 | 46 | Tie |
| PPP (D) | 8/20 - 8/23 | 904 LV | 38 | 43 | Perdue +5 |
| Civitas/TelOpinion (R) | 8/14 - 8/17 | 600 RV | 41 | 43 | Perdue +2 |
| Rasmussen | 8/13 - 8/13 | 700 LV | 45 | 51 | Perdue +6 |
| SurveyUSA | 8/9 - 8/11 | 655 LV | 44 | 47 | Perdue +3 |
| PPP (D) | 7/23 - 7/27 | 823 LV | 37 | 46 | Perdue +9 |
| Civitas/TelOpinion (R) | 7/14 - 7/16 | 600 RV | 40 | 43 | Perdue +3 |
| SurveyUSA | 7/12 - 7/14 | 676 LV | 46 | 47 | Perdue +1 |
| PPP (D) | 6/26 - 6/29 | 1048 LV | 41 | 42 | Perdue +1 |
| Civitas/TelOpinion (R) | 6/11 - 6/13 | 600 RV | 41 | 43 | Perdue +2 |
| Rasmussen | 6/10 - 6/10 | 500 LV | 46 | 47 | Perdue +1 |
| PPP (D) | 5/28 - 5/29 | 543 LV | 39 | 43 | Perdue +4 |
| SurveyUSA | 5/17 - 5/19 | 713 LV | 45 | 52 | Perdue +7 |
| Civitas/TelOpinion (R) | 5/14 - 5/17 | 800 LV | 42 | 43 | Perdue +1 |
| PPP (D) | 5/8 - 5/9 | 616 LV | 45 | 45 | Tie |
| Rasmussen | 5/8 - 5/8 | 500 LV | 45 | 39 | McCrory +6 |
| Rasmussen | 3/20 - 3/20 | 500 LV | 42 | 45 | Perdue +3 |
All Commentary & News Stories
- Race Is Surprisingly Tight - AP
- McCrory, Perdue Preach Open Government - Raleigh News & Observer
- Ad Pits McCrory Against Rural N.C - Raleigh News & Observer
- McCrory, Perdue Differ on Charter Schools - Charlotte Observer
- Union Dollars Benefit Democrats - Raleigh News & Observer
- Gov's First Test May Be Legislature - Raleigh News & Observer
- Race For Governor Remains Close - Raleigh News & Observer