The new poll of North Carolina from Public Policy Polling (D) confirms that GOP Sen. Richard Burr is in serious trouble going into his 2010 re-election race. The odd thing is that Burr’s approval and horse-race numbers are more characteristic of an unknown candidate in an open-seat race, than they are of an incumbent.
Burr has an approval rating of only 35% and a disapproval of 31% — with a very high undecided rate of 33%. Democratic state Attorney General Roy Cooper leads Burr by 41%-37%, with a 41% favorable and 20% unfavorable. Rep. Mike McIntyre, a relatively conservative Democrat, has even lower name recognition at 23% favorable and 21% unfavorable — and Burr is only ahead by 39%-34%.
From the pollster’s analysis: “If Roy Cooper enters the race for US Senate this race automatically becomes a tossup, if not even slightly Democratic leaning. It’s quite unusual for an incumbent who doesn’t have major ethical problems to trail an unannounced challenger.”