Raleigh, N.C. — Either Democratic gubernatorial candidate – Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue or Treasurer Richard Moore – would defeat any of the Republican candidates if the election were held today, according to a recent WRAL News Poll.

In a survey of 500 likely voters conducted Tuesday by Rasmussen Reports, Perdue leads state Sen. Fred Smith, of Johnston County by 18 percent and former state Supreme Court Justice Robert Orr by 17 percent.

The poll has a margin of sampling error of +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.

In a possible head-to-head matchup between Smith and Perdue, 49 percent of respondents said they would vote for Perdue and 31 percent for Smith, while 6 percent said they would vote for another candidate and 15 percent were unsure.

Between Orr and Perdue, 48 percent of respondents said they would voted for Perdue, 31 percent for Smith, 7 percent for another candidate and 15 percent were unsure.

Moore fared best against Orr with 46 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him and 28 percent for Orr. Nine percent said they would vote for another candidate and 17 percent said they were unsure.

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory was favored over his three Republican opponents.

When respondents were asked which of the six gubernatorial candidates they had a "very favorable" opinion of, 25 percent named Moore and 22 percent named Perdue. Sixteen percent had a "very favorable" opinion of McCrory; other Republican candidates trailed – Smith with 10 percent, Salisbury attorney Bill Graham with 6 percent and Orr with 5 percent.

Both Moore and Perdue had the fewest unfavorable opinions as well. Seven percent of respondents had a "very unfavorable" opinion of Moore; 8 percent said the same about Perdue. Among the Republicans, 13 percent had a "very unfavorable" opinion of McCrory; 14 percent of Orr and Smith; and 17 percent said Graham.