Washington, D.C. — A new poll commissioned for the Center for American Progress Action Fund and conducted by Public Policy Polling, or PPP, shows tight race for U.S. Senate in North Carolina. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan leads her Republican challenger Thom Tillis by just 1 percentage point, 46–45. The poll shows Sen. Hagan is propelled by strong support for issues such as equal pay, a minimum-wage increase, women’s health and economic security, and common-sense gun laws.
Some of the key findings of the survey include:
- One key economic issue that affects American families is paid family leave for workers. Sen. Hagan supports guaranteed paid leave, while Tillis opposes such a measure. Sen. Hagan’s support for paid family leave makes North Carolina voter more likely to support her by a 40–28 margin.
- Education funding is important to North Carolina voters, and Tillis’ slashing of $500 million from public education appears to be a major issue in voters’ minds. Voters are less likely to back Tillis by a 24-percentage-point margin because of his moves to cut public education.
- Sen. Hagan’s vote for the Manchin-Toomey gun background check wins her twice as many supporters than detractors. A full 50 percent of North Carolinians say they are more likely to support her because of the vote, compared to 25 percent who are less likely.
“When politics meets the day-to-day kitchen table issues facing American families, voters move toward candidates who support policies that help grow the economy by investing in the middle class,” said Gov. Ted Strickland, President of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. “While Republican candidates have tried to shift their focus to fear mongering and attacks on the president, these surveys suggest that when voters focus on issues, such as paying wages sufficient to support a family or equal pay for women, those issues favor more progressive candidates.”
This Public Policy Poll of 738 likely voters was conducted on October 30-31 with a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percent.
Please find the full poll here.
For more information or to talk to an expert, please contact Benton Strong at 202.481.8142 or [email protected].
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