Monday, September 22, 2008

Email to a Friend

North Carolina is one of several traditionally Republican states where John McCain just can’t quite seem to pull away from Barack Obama. The Republican candidate has been at least slightly ahead in six of the seven monthly polls conducted in the state and was tied in the seventh. But, his advantage has always remained in single digits, often the low single digits.

This month, it’s more of the same as the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds McCain ahead 50% to 47%. That’s not too much different than the results from a month ago.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of Obama supporters are voting for their candidate with enthusiasm while 15% are voting primarily against McCain. Sixty-two percent (62%) of McCain voters are casting their votes with enthusiasm while 34% are voting primarily against Obama.

As always, the racial divide is sharp. In the Tar Heel State, Obama is supported by 98% of African-Americans while McCain currently earns the vote from 66% of White voters. McCain attracts 88% of Republicans while Obama has 79% support from Democrats (Full demographic crosstabs are available to Premium Members).

McCain is viewed favorably by 56%, Obama by 53%.

Nationally, the race between Obama and McCain is very close in the Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

As for the running mates, 55% have a favorable opinion of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin while 47% have a positive opinion of Delaware Senator Joe Biden.

Fifty-one percent (51%) say that McCain made the right choice in selecting Palin while 41% say that Biden was the right choice for Obama.

Seventy-four percent (74%) say that Palin is politically conservative while 46% say Biden is politically liberal.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).

North Carolina has voted for Republican candidates in nine out of the last ten Presidential elections. In 2004, George W. Bush won the state by a 56% to 44% margin.

The North Carolina survey was conducted on Thursday night. Several state polls conducted that evening showed very positive results for Barack Obama and it was one of his best recent nights in the daily Presidential Tracking Poll. It remains to be seen whether this was a temporary blip in the race or the beginning of a new trend leading to a significant advantage for Obama.

Rasmussen Markets data gives McCain a % chance of winning North Carolina’s Electoral College votes this fall. These results are updated on a 24/7 basis by market participants. It costs nothing to join, so add your voice to the collective wisdom. The Tar Heel state is listed as “Leans Republican in the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator. NOTE: Factors other than the latest Rasmussen Reports poll impact the Balance of Power ratings. The current status is indicated on the table in the upper right hand corner of this article.

State polling was released last week for Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Demographic crosstabs for all state polling data are available for Premium Members. Learn More.

See Survey questions and toplines Crosstabs are available to Premium Members only.