DLGA Announces Plans for $2M Investment in North Carolina Race
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new Public Policy Poll of the lieutenant governor’s race in North Carolina found a lead for Democratic State Sen. Rachel Hunt after hearing that the Republican candidates support a further ban on access to abortion in North Carolina.
This poll comes on the heels of Sen. Hunt’s overwhelming victory in the Democratic primary earlier this month. The DLGA recently announced plans for a $2 million investment in the race, as the North Carolina lieutenant governor’s race remains its number-one pick-up opportunity in 2024.
“The data is clear that North Carolinians will not vote for an extreme Republican who wants to outlaw abortion, undermine a woman’s right to choose, and restrict women’s reproductive rights,” said DLGA Executive Director Kevin Holst. “It’s clear that Rachel Hunt is the only candidate in this race that represents the views of North Carolinians, and will protect their interests as lieutenant governor. The DLGA will invest $2 million in this race to ensure that Rachel Hunt is North Carolina’s next lieutenant governor.”
PPP found:
While the majority of North Carolinians are unsure whether or not they hold favorable opinions of the candidates, in a current head to head race, both Hal Weatherman and Jim O’Neill lead Rachel Hunt 37% to 34%, with 29% unsure.
Despite Hunt initially trailing both Weatherman and O’Neill by 3 points (34-37) in separate matchups, voters shift their support after hearing that the Republican candidates support a further ban on access to abortion in North Carolina.
After hearing that Hunt supports a woman’s right to seek reproductive healthcare, including access to abortion, while Weatherman and O’Neill favor further banning access to abortion:
- Hunt leads Weatherman by an 8-point margin (45-37), with 19% undecided.
- Hunt leads O’Neill by a 6-point margin (43-37), with 20% undecided.
Other key findings from the survey include:
- Voters oppose North Carolina’s new 12-week abortion ban by a 13-point margin (49-36), a policy vetoed by Governor Cooper and overridden by the General Assembly.
- A plurality of North Carolina voters (42%) say they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supported the 12-week abortion ban, while only 27% say they would be more likely to vote for such a candidate.
- Voters familiar with Democratic candidate Rachel Hunt view her favorably by a 7-point margin (21-14), with 65% unsure.
- In contrast, voters are more divided in opinion on each of the Republican candidates set to face off in a runoff election in May. Jim O’Neill is underwater in favorability by a 2-point margin (10-12), with 78% unsure, while voters view Hal Weatherman favorably by just 1 point (16-15), with 69% unsure.
