Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:24 pm
A PPP poll of North Carolina found that Democrats aren’t just saying that they will vote, they are showing up at the polls to early vote in massive numbers.
According to PPP:
PPP’s newest North Carolina poll finds that Democrats are running up large leads already during early voting. Among those who say they’ve already voted, 63% say they cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton to only 37% for Donald Trump. Interestingly, less than half of a percent say they voted for Gary Johnson, which could be a sign that he won’t end up getting that much more support than a normal third party candidate. The big Democratic advantage holds down ballot as well. Roy Cooper leads Pat McCrory 61-33 for Governor among those who have already voted, with Libertarian Lon Cecil at 1%. And Deborah Ross leads Richard Burr 52-34 for Senate, with Libertarian Sean Haugh at 7% among those who say they have already cast their ballots.
Overall Hillary Clinton maintains a modest advantage in North Carolina with 47% to 44% for Donald Trump, and Gary Johnson at 4%. In a head to head Clinton’s lead remains steady at 3 points at 49/46.
Republicans won North Carolina in 2012 by shaving off 100,000 early votes from Obama’s 2008 total. The GOP has taken ten steps backward in 2016 as indicators suggest that Republican early voting turnout is dropping with Trump at the top of the ticket.
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Democrats need to build a large advantage in early voting because Republicans tend to show up in bigger numbers on election day. If Hillary Clinton and the Democratic get out the vote operation build a big enough advantage, the state will be unwinnable for Trump.
Trump’s very narrow path to the White House requires him not to lose a single state that Mitt Romney won in 2012. If Trump loses North Carolina, the door will be slammed shut on any hopes that he has of pulling an election night surprise.
The encouraging news for Democrats is that voters are not just telling pollsters that they support Hillary Clinton and the Democratic slate in North Carolina. Voters are stepping and going to the polls in overwhelming numbers.
Nothing has been decided yet, but if early voting is any indication, Democrats in North Carolina are fired up and going to the polls.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
