Civitas Poll: Burr Continues to Lead Among Unaffiliated Voters in North Carolina

Published on: 30th August, 2010 |

Raleigh, N.C. – Unaffiliated voters in North Carolina continue to lean toward incumbent Republican US Sen. Richard Burr by a 39 percent-32 percent margin against Democratic opponent Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, according to a new National Research Inc. poll released today by the Civitas Institute.

According to the live caller poll of 400 unaffiliated likely voters, 39 percent said they would vote for Burr if the election for US Senate were held today.  Thirty-two percent said they would vote for Marshall, and 7 percent said they would vote for Libertarian candidate Michael Beitler.  Twenty-one percent of voters said they are undecided.

Among voters who said they are most likely to vote in 2010, Burr’s lead increases to 44 percent-29 percent.

“Unaffiliated voters across the state who, in the 2008 election cycle, voted for President Obama and Senator Hagan are now increasingly leaning toward Republican candidates,” said Civitas Institute Senior Legislative Analyst Chris Hayes.  

Thirty-seven percent of unaffiliated voters said they have a favorable opinion of Burr.  Thirty-one percent said their opinion is unfavorable and 25 percent of voters said they have no opinion.  Six percent said they have never heard of Burr.

Marshall’s favorability margin among unaffiliated voters is 23 percent favorable-17 percent unfavorable.  However, 26 percent of voters said they have no opinion of Marshall, and 34 percent said they have never heard of her.

“Although Marshall has served in North Carolina political office for several years, voters still appear unsure of who she is,” added Hayes.  “There is still time for both candidates to increase their name identification among undecided unaffiliated voters, but Marshall’s lack of resources puts her at a serious disadvantage.”

The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina.  For more information on Civitas polling see www.nccivitas.org/media/poll-results/.

Full text of questions:
“If the election for US Senate were held today, for whom would you vote between: Richard Burr, the Republican; Elaine Marshall, the Democrat; or Michael Beitler, the Libertarian?

Richard Burr – 39%
Elaine Marshall – 32%
Michael Beitler – 7%
Lean/Undecided – 21%

“Now I am going to read you a list of people active in politics.  After I read each name, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of that person.  If you never heard of them, just tell me and we’ll go on to the next one.”

Richard Burr
Favorable – 37%
Unfavorable – 31%
No Opinion – 25%
Never Heard Of – 6%

Elaine Marshall
Favorable – 23%
Unfavorable – 17%
No Opinion – 26%
Never Heard Of – 34%

Click here for full results and crosstabs.

This poll of 400 unaffiliated likely general election voters in North Carolina was conducted August 16-18 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ.  All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina.  For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in two of the past four general elections or were newly registered to vote since 2008.  An additional screening question was asked to filter only those voters having some likelihood to vote in the upcoming 2010 election.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 400 interviews (registered unaffiliated voters) will be within +/- 4.9% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in two of the past four general elections or were newly registered to vote since 2008.  
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Civitas Poll: Burr Continues to Lead Among Unaffiliated Voters in North Carolina

Civitas Poll: Majority of Democrats and Republicans Don’t Like Forbidding Mention of Jesus in State House Chamber

Published on: 30th July, 2010 |

Raleigh, N.C. – Both Democratic and Republican voters in North Carolina disagree with the policy forbidding guest chaplains in the state House from mentioning Jesus in the opening prayer session according to a new poll released today by the Civitas Institute.

According to the live caller poll of 600 likely voters, 70 percent of voters said they disagree with the policy that forbids chaplains from mentioning Jesus in their prayer.  Twenty-seven percent of voters said they agree, and three percent said they are not sure.

Republicans oppose the guidelines by a 74 percent-24 percent margin.  Democrats also disagree with a 70 percent-26 percent margin in opposition.  Moreover, unaffiliated voters also oppose the policy by 61 percent-31 percent.

“Speaker Hackney’s attempt to stifle free speech has backfired, evidenced by voter disagreement with this policy that caters to a minority viewpoint,” said Civitas Institute president Francis De Luca.  “Has political correctness gone so awry that we can no longer mention Jesus while saying a prayer in a Judeo-Christian nation? What is next, no prayer to open the session?”

Lawmakers plan to review the policy after a guest chaplain said he was instructed not to reference Jesus in his prayer at the House chamber earlier this month.  In response to the incident, House Speaker Joe Hackney and Minority Leader Paul Stam will look over the measures concerning guest chaplains to ensure that they act accordingly with constitutional procedures.

The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina.  For more information on Civitas polling see www.nccivitas.org/media/poll-results/.

Full text of question:
Currently guest chaplains in the North Carolina House of Representatives are forbidden from mentioning Jesus in the prayer opening the session each day. Do you agree or disagree with this policy?

Strongly agree    - 15%
Somewhat agree – 12%
Somewhat disagree – 14%
Strongly disagree – 56%
Not sure – 3%
AGREE – 27%
DISAGREE – 70%

Click here for full results and crosstabs.

This poll of 600 likely general election voters in North Carolina was conducted July 19-21, 2010 by Tel Opinion Research of Alexandria, Virginia. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters we interviewed had to have voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.
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Civitas Poll: Majority of Democrats and Republicans Don’t Like Forbidding Mention of Jesus in State House Chamber

Civitas Poll: Unaffiliated Voters and Low Name I.D. Present Uphill Battle for Marshall

Published on: 30th July, 2010 |

Raleigh, N.C. – Democratic candidate Elaine Marshall faces an uphill battle in the race for US Senate due to low name identification and unaffiliated voters abandoning her by a 44 percent-31 percent margin in favor of incumbent Republican Richard Burr according to a new poll released today by the Civitas Institute.

According to the live caller poll of 600 likely voters, Burr continues to lead Marshall as 44 percent of voters said they would vote for him if the election for U.S. Senate were held today.  Thirty-seven percent said they would vote for Marshall, and 15 percent said they were undecided.

Additionally, voters look to be breaking along party lines, increasing the margin of difference between the candidates by 16 points.  Republicans lean heavily toward Burr (80 percent-7 percent) while Democrats are in support of Marshall (64 percent-17 percent).  Unaffiliated voters, however, are mirroring the statewide trend toward Republican candidates as they would vote for Burr by a 44 percent-31 percent margin.

“Burr continues to maintain a solid lead over Marshall despite the recent TV ads attacking his record,” said Civitas Institute Senior Legislative Analyst Chris Hayes.  “With Marshall having very little cross-over appeal to Republicans, her standing with the unaffiliated voter will play a key role come Election Day.”

 Though serving as the current North Carolina Secretary of State, Marshall is relatively unknown as 62 percent of voters said they have no opinion or are unaware of her candidacy.  Meanwhile, Burr appears to be benefitting from name identification as an incumbent.  Twenty-nine percent of voters said they have no opinion of him, while nine percent said they are not aware of his candidacy.

“The unique feature of this race is both candidates’ relatively low name identification.  Despite Burr being a US Senator and Marshall having been elected statewide multiple times, many voters are still unaware of either candidate,” added Hayes.

The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina.  For more information on Civitas polling see www.nccivitas.org/media/poll-results/.

Full text of questions:
Richard Burr
Favorable – 34%
Unfavorable – 29%
No Opinion – 29%

Elaine Marshall
Favorable – 24%
Unfavorable – 14%
No Opinion – 31%

If the election for United States Senate were held today, would you be voting for Republican Richard Burr, Democrat Elaine Marshall, or Libertarian Mike Beitler? If not sure/refused… are you leaning toward: Republican Richard Burr, Democrat Elaine Marshall or Libertarian Mike Beitler?

Burr – 32%
Lean Burr – 12%
TOTAL BURR – 44%
Lean Marshall – 10%
Marshall – 28%
TOTAL MARSHALL – 37%
Beitler – 1%
Lean Beitler – 2%
Not Sure – 15%

Click here for full results and crosstabs.

This poll of 600 likely general election voters in North Carolina was conducted July 19-21, 2010 by Tel Opinion Research of Alexandria, Virginia. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters we interviewed had to have voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.
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Civitas Poll: Unaffiliated Voters and Low Name I.D. Present Uphill Battle for Marshall

Civitas Institute Hosts November is Coming N.C. Conference

Published on: 20th July, 2010 |

Raleigh, N.C. – The Civitas Institute, partnering with Americans for Prosperity North Carolina, is hosting a two day event that will provide North Carolina citizens with the tools and training they need to bring about real change in November. 

The November is Coming conference will focus on training grassroots activists in how to encourage citizens to get out and vote this fall along with education on issues such as spotting voter fraud.  Attendees can also learn how to investigate government corruption and waste during Friday’s Citizen Watchdog/Investigative Journalism training sessions.  The event runs July 30-31 at the Asheville Doubletree Hotel and will feature a conservative keynote speaker along with the latest state polling results.  Event registration and information is available at http://www.novemberiscomingnc.com.

“As this vital election approaches, it is imperative that citizens are prepared and knowledgeable about how to get our state back on the right track,” said Civitas Institute president Francis De Luca.  “This event will equip them with the tools necessary to reach and educate voters.”

The vision of the Civitas Institute is of a North Carolina whose citizens enjoy liberty and prosperity derived from limited government, personal responsibility and civic engagement. The mission of the Civitas Institute is to facilitate the implementation of conservative policy solutions to improve the lives of all North Carolinians through research, training, and education.
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Civitas Institute Hosts November is Coming N.C. Conference

Civitas Institute Hosts November is Coming N.C. Conference

Published on: 20th July, 2010 |

Raleigh, N.C. – The Civitas Institute, partnering with Americans for Prosperity North Carolina, is hosting a two day event that will provide North Carolina citizens with the tools and training they need to bring about real change in November. 

The November is Coming conference will focus on training grassroots activists in how to encourage citizens to get out and vote this fall along with education on issues such as spotting voter fraud.  Attendees can also learn how to investigate government corruption and waste during Friday’s Citizen Watchdog/Investigative Journalism training sessions.  The event runs July 30-31 at the Asheville Doubletree Hotel and will feature a conservative keynote speaker along with the latest state polling results.  Event registration and information is available at http://www.novemberiscomingnc.com.

“As this vital election approaches, it is imperative that citizens are prepared and knowledgeable about how to get our state back on the right track,” said Civitas Institute president Francis De Luca.  “This event will equip them with the tools necessary to reach and educate voters.”

The vision of the Civitas Institute is of a North Carolina whose citizens enjoy liberty and prosperity derived from limited government, personal responsibility and civic engagement. The mission of the Civitas Institute is to facilitate the implementation of conservative policy solutions to improve the lives of all North Carolinians through research, training, and education.
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Civitas Institute Hosts November is Coming N.C. Conference

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