NC-2012 President: 47% Obama (D), 46% Romney (R) (PPP 2/3-5)

Public Policy Polling (D)
2/3-5/12; 1,052 likely voters, 3% margin of error
Mode: Automated phone
PPP release

North Carolina

2012 President
50% Obama (D), 45% Gingrich (R)
47% Obama (D), 41% Paul (R)
47% Obama (D), 46% Romney (R)
48% Obama (D), 46% Santorum (R)

Obama Job Approval
48% Approve, 49% Disapprove

Favorable / Unfavorable
Newt Gingrich: 30 / 58
Ron Paul: 24 / 60
Mitt Romney: 31 / 56
Rick Santorum: 35 / 50

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[WhatHaveRepublicansDone]

12:41 PM on 02/10/2012

This whole argument about religous liberty is a farse, gined up by the right to incite fear. The government legislates to churches all the time. Cant have more than one wife no can you.

[StatsNo1fan]

12:53 PM on 02/10/2012

If you're a Muslim or old-skool Mormon living in US, you are not committing a sin by limiting yourself to a single wife. If you are a nun who runs a hospital, and are forced to pay for abortion pills for your employees, you are breaking the most basic covenant of the Church.

[Xenobion]

02:25 PM on 02/10/2012

The church doesn't believe in dinosaurs but they buy fossil fuels to heat/drive. And it is pretty clear by the practice of the Catholic church and other churches that their patrons don't practice what they preach.

No one is forcing the church to pay for contraception, they are forcing them to pay for insurance. Some churches don't believe in modern medicine/blood transfusions like the Jahova Witnesses or those who believe in Faith Healing. I'd figure that to be more of a controversy that this stuff.

[WhatHaveRepublicansDone]

05:02 PM on 02/10/2012

Talk to Warren Jeffs and ask him if not being allowed to have more than one wife is infringing on his religious liberty. And I know the guy is a nuuuuuut_job, but the way the right is trying to spin this is to make people fearful. Is making the church pay a $10 copay also infringing on religious freedom, because that is the law in 28 states as of right now and has been tested in the courts and was turned down by the SCOTUS. Just like I think it is ridiculous for the right to complain about gay marriage vs civil unions, in the end all this hubbabalooo is really about just a few dollars and a good bit of old fashion fear mongering. I think the right no their chances of taking back the WH is fading fast and this is a last ditch effort by them to turn the tide.

[Bukama]

05:35 PM on 02/10/2012

You can't have more than one marriage license. You can live with as many wives as you want, and fundamentalist Mormons do. I think there was a TV show about that.

[WhatHaveRepublicansDone]

07:44 PM on 02/10/2012

My point exactly, just like the Catholic Church can lighten it's conciseness by saying, since we dont pay for it all its Ok. Mormons can say they are married to as many women as they want, but their religious liberty by what the right is trying to say has been infringed upon. I think that this plea is a little desperate, the country has seen Obama in action for the past 3 years and saying things like he wants to wage war on religions just makes them seem out of touch. And after his compromise this afternoon, he again looks like the adult in the room while the GOP look like sniveling, whining little kids.

[Eugene Berkovich]

11:14 AM on 02/10/2012

Obama is holding a small lead in Ohio and an insignificant lead in NC. These are states Republicans MUST take to win in November. Obama just needs Ohio.

[ashenthorn]

11:30 AM on 02/10/2012

What pollsters are missing right now in their attempts to keep up with the republican primary schedule is figuring out what happens after these republican primarys roll through. I'd like to see swing state polls in IA, NH, FL, CO and NV to determine how the GE numbers are effected by the republican primary candidates coming through town. My opinion is that wherever the republicans go, Obama benefits, but I'd like to see more data to confirm.

[Xenobion]

02:27 PM on 02/10/2012

I believe Obama's numbers are what Nate Silver outlined in his recent blog. Its the economy and it is getting better. The rhetoric that it isn't can't hold forever as unemployment continues to drop.

[Lat1]

11:04 AM on 02/10/2012

For those of you who thought the issue on birth control was going to be Obama's waterloo? Read it and weep.

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/02/our-polling-on-the-birth-control-issue.html

[ashenthorn]

11:22 AM on 02/10/2012

The rise of this issue is bad news for Romney, because while moderates and indies don't care about it at all, it has caused an absolute earthquake on the cultural right, which will drive republican primary voters to Santorum. It almost seems that the Obama administration rolled out this thing out as a political tactic to damage Romney. The whole republican nominating procress has been devastating to Romney in terms of the GE. Today's Ras national numbers (Obama +10 over Romney), now allow Santorum to make an argument that he, not Romney is the most electable. Of course it's a phony argument because nobody knows Santorum except those on the far right and far left of the spectrum and if he starts winning more states, everybody else will quickly learn that he is, in fact, nuts.

[Lat1]

11:45 AM on 02/10/2012

Ashenthorn,

I've said it once and I'll say it again Romney is an awful candidate most of which is his own doing. You can spend all the money you want and run all the negative ads you want but at the end of the day he's still inauthentic and phony. That said I don't believe that about Santorum. I think Santorum is completely nuts on social issues, but for the most part he sticks to his principles and says what he believes.

[Xenobion]

02:29 PM on 02/10/2012

Romney is on the same side of Obama on this issue based off of Romney Care and Romney doesn't want you to know that.

[Rocketsfan]

11:41 AM on 02/10/2012

Well Rasmussen had a poll that had the exact opposite results. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/february_2012/50_oppose_gov_t_mandate_for_religious_organizations_to_provide_contraceptives

I think that is interesting especially considering the Presidential tracking by Ras has been more favorable than Gallup in the last year.

[StatsNo1fan]

11:55 AM on 02/10/2012

That's because Ras asked the right question at the heart of the issue. PP did not.

3* The requirement to provide contraceptives for women violates deeply held beliefs of some churches and religious organizations. If providing such coverage violates the beliefs of a church or religious organization, should the government still require them to provide coverage for contraceptives?
39% Yes
50% No
10% Not sure

[Uchenna Oguekwe]

12:30 AM on 02/10/2012

If Obama is ahead in OH, PA and NC leading into the election, Repubs can kiss their chances goodbye.

[StatsNo1fan]

12:23 AM on 02/10/2012

Anybody remembers if Susquehanna polling is any good? They have an interesting PA poll out tonight.

[emphatico]

09:22 AM on 02/10/2012

Which poll is that? Ne'er heard of it. Perhaps it is one of those polls being trotted out by all these PACS.

[Rightbrainedleftwinged]

06:47 PM on 02/09/2012

I still think PPP made a mistake. Obama is probably losing independents with Romney and santorum in NC. The Democratic advantage on ppp is d plus 8.

[Xenobion]

10:10 PM on 02/09/2012

Well I don't think with Santorum he is but speaking of Romney and independents he's tanked in the past 2 months with them so I don't know where the Obama/Romney field stands on independents.

[Rightbrainedleftwinged]

02:26 PM on 02/10/2012

No way, that if the GOP candidates trail obama with independents, by 6 or 8, that Obama would only be ahead by 1. Any Democrat who would vote for Santorum should be forced to change parties.

[StatsNo1fan]

05:56 PM on 02/09/2012

Another clear indication of B0's strength in NC is that two Dem Congressman and Dem Governor just announced retirements in the past couple of weeks.

[StatsNo1fan]

05:58 PM on 02/09/2012

All three are young too. They just started missing their families really badly. May be something in the water down there.

[Rightbrainedleftwinged]

06:39 PM on 02/09/2012

NC Republicans figured they had to resort to Texas style gerrymandering, after only 1 US rep. lost in the 2010 GOP takeover of congress. That guy only lost by a point.

With every district that becomes more rural, more Republican or more conservative in the US, there will be other states and districts becoming more diverse in ages, racially and in other respects. Virginia for instance, had low turnout in 2010, and the two districts where Democratic reps lost, were in districts with large universities. Younger people unfortunately don't turn out as much in midterms, which is sad.

[StatsNo1fan]

12:14 AM on 02/10/2012

Texas style gerrymandering? Poor Dems, boo-hoo. Have you seen NC district map from the past decade? The one Dems drew up? The one that elected majority Dems in 2010, even as they lost the popular House vote by 9%?

Look it up.

[StatsNo1fan]

05:36 PM on 02/09/2012

Things change over the months and years, monsoon seasons come and go, politicians' approval goes up and down, but PP's home state polling remains a rock.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/nc/north_carolina_romney_vs_obama-1784.html

[AaronTX]

05:51 PM on 02/09/2012

Well, Magellan backs them up FWIW. Other than that we only have Civitas. PPP has done pretty decently in the primary season, so...

[StatsNo1fan]

05:54 PM on 02/09/2012

The point is not that B0 leads. The point is that it NEVER changes. That is odd to me.

[docboss83]

04:42 PM on 02/09/2012

Stats will soon be here in his typical rage and tell us that Obama can win Ohio and North Carolina and the GOP can still win. All they have to do is win California, New York and Illinois. How are the anger management classes going Stats? Have you signed up yet?

[teron678]

04:54 PM on 02/09/2012

LOL ... he is taking on the Hat-Rick loss his guy got on Tuesday ...

[StatsNo1fan]

05:31 PM on 02/09/2012

Dumaxz.

[teron678]

05:44 PM on 02/09/2012

Stats u do seem very angry these past few days ...

[alanrsnipes]

04:28 PM on 02/09/2012

This is just where Obama was four years ago which means, as of today, with polls of other states figured in, he is a shoe in for reelection.

[Rightbrainedleftwinged]

04:17 PM on 02/09/2012

The poll has d plus 8. I can't see independents showing a lead for Obama by 8 and seeing him this close to Santorum and Romney. It doesn't ad up.

[Rightbrainedleftwinged]

04:13 PM on 02/09/2012

PPP has moved rightward based on this poll. Romney trails Obama among independents, if you read the fine print. I was surprised, because NC has about a 6 point democratic edge, and figured the reason it was so close is independents.