A new survey from Public Policy Polling (D) shows President Obama with a small five point lead over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in North Carolina, a state he won in 2008 and will be a major battleground in 2012. Obama gets 49 percent of registered voters in the state versus Romney’s 44, as the President’s approval rating is barely above water but Romney’s favorability is at an extremely negative 29 – 58 split.
“The president has led or tied Romney in all but one poll in the Tar Heel State since PPP began tracking the race after the 2010 election, but for two months in a row he has now posted 49%—almost the roughly 50% he achieved against John McCain four years ago,” PPP pollsters wrote in their analysis. “Obama’s low-water mark was 44% in March 2011, but for the last six polls, he has either risen or stayed steady, and is up four points overall in that time frame. Romney has achieved 46% four out of the last six months, but that is his high-water mark so far.”
Obama wins indpendent voters by double digits, but hasn’t locked down his base in North Carolina yet. Only 79 percent of Democrats go for Obama, as Romney attracts the support of 15. As has been seen nationally, the poll shows a large gender gap, with women supporting Obama by 15 points and men going for Romney by six.
