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Elon poll finds McCrory approval ratings rising

Gov. Pat McCrory saw his approval rating climb over the past two months, according to the Elon University Poll. North Carolina residents are evenly split on President Obama but like the state legislature more than Congress.

Posted Updated
Elon Poll Summary 041213
By
Mark Binker
RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Pat McCrory's approval rating has bumped up as fewer people say they "don't know" about his job performance, according to Elon University Poll results released Friday. 
The poll of 770 respondents found 46 percent approved of McCrory's job performance, short of 50 percent considered healthy for re-election prospects among political scientists but far ahead of the 25 percent of respondents who disapprove of the governor. Some 27 percent of respondents say they "don't know" how McCrory is doing.

“Approval of Gov. Pat McCrory seems to be growing as people learn more about his policy positions and see him in the news more frequently,” Kenneth Fernandez, director of the Elon University Poll, said in a statement.

That effect can be seen by comparing McCrory's approval to President Barack Obama's.

Obama's approval rating is 45 percent among respondents to the same poll, virtually the same as the governor's. However, 46 percent of respondents say they disapprove of the president's job performance, with only 7.6 percent saying they don't know how he is doing.

Lawmakers in Raleigh aren't exactly popular, but they fared better than Congress.

Some 37 percent of respondents said they approved of the job the General Assembly is doing, while another 39 percent said they disapproved. 

“Although approval of the state legislature’s job performance is not high, it has improved slightly since February,” Fernandez said. “This may come as a surprise to some, given that the General Assembly’s policy agenda has been under increased scrutiny.”

By contrast, 78 percent of respondents said they disapprove of Congress.

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