Democrat Roy Cooper has widened his lead over Republican Michael Whatley in the race for North Carolina’s open US Senate seat next year, according to the latest Carolina Journal poll of likely voters.
The survey puts Cooper’s support at 47% compared to Whatley’s 39%. That result doubles the 4% margin Cooper had in CJ’s September poll — which had 46% for Cooper, the state’s two-term former governor; and 42% for Whatley, a former national and state Republican Party chairman. The numbers return Whatley to the wider 8% margin seen in August when Cooper’s support sat at 47% and Whatley’s at 39%.
The CJ poll also queried voter perspectives on Don Brown, another Republican candidate who has thrown his hat into the ring in the GOP primary for the US Senate seat. Brown performs slightly worse than Whatley against Cooper, at 38% support.
“Cooper’s lead continues to benefit from strong name recognition among voters,” said Carolina Journal publisher and John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson. “If Whatley or Brown want to have a chance in this race, they will need to get in front of voters and raise their own public profile.”
Momentum for Democrats is also showing up in races for the state legislature. In a generic ballot test, Democrats went from a 1.6-point deficit in September to a 4.1-point lead this month. The poll shows 47.3% of respondents saying they would vote for a Democratic legislative candidate, while 43.2% said they would support a Republican.
NC voters also appear to be souring on the direction of the country and North Carolina as well. Only 38% say the country is going in the right direction — down 4 percentage points from September and down 9 percentage points from August — while 55% say it’s on the wrong track. That is the largest net “wrong track” margin recorded by the CJ poll this year.
Opinions on North Carolina’s direction are similarly negative: 35% say the state is headed the right way and 48% say it’s on the wrong track, a sharp reversal from last November’s margin of 48% right track and 43% wrong track.
On the question of economic confidence, a majority — 58% — say they are not confident in the US economy, including 38% who say they are “not confident at all.” Personal finances are rated mostly “good” at 37% or “fair” at 34%. On holiday spending: about two-thirds say they will spend less on the holidays this year compared with last year.
“There is no doubt that voters are feeling the pinch of high consumer prices, a deeply divided political climate, and an uncertain job market,” continued Bryson. “Elected officials need to work on kitchen-table issues if they want to see an improvement in American morale. Groceries move the ballot box.”
President Donald Trump’s job approval also dipped about 4%, with the current approval rating at 46% approve and 53% disapprove. Notably, almost all those who disapprove of Trump’s performance “strongly disapprove,” at 48%. Gov. Josh Stein’s image shows minimal change at 50% approve and 29% disapprove.
On the recent federal government shutdown and the delay in the state budget, a plurality, 34%, blame Democrats in Congress, while 34% blame Republicans, and 25% blame both. Independents are divided nearly evenly among blaming Democrats at 33%, Republicans at 32%, and both at 32%. Forty percent say neither the federal shutdown nor the state budget delay has affected them, while 26% say both have impacted them equally.
Tariffs draw more negative than positive responses. When asked whether US tariffs help or hurt the national economy, 54% say they hurt and 38% say they help. Asked about the impact on their family’s finances, 56% say tariffs hurt while 19% say they help.
Views on artificial intelligence skew negative. Overall, 57% view AI negatively, including 33% “somewhat concerned” and 24% “mostly negative,” while 28% say the technology is positive. On AI in classrooms, 35% say AI is a threat to real learning, 44% express concern, and 22% are unsure.
The CJ poll surveyed 600 likely voters and was conducted Nov. 9-10 by Harper Polling.
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