Posted on 03/31/2003 12:22:19 PM PST by LdSentinal
Almost half of North Carolinians think U.S. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., is performing well in his position but do not support his decision to run for president in 2004, according to UNC's Carolina Poll.
Experts say this anomaly could be a result of North Carolinians' desire to keep the senator in-state.
The poll, conducted Sunday to Thursday last week by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, asked a random sample of N.C. residents how they rate the job Edwards is doing as a senator -- "excellent," "good," "only fair," or "poor." The poll comprised opinions of 615 people and had a 4 percent margin of error.
Ten percent of the people polled said excellent, 39 percent said good, 24 percent said only fair and 11 percent gave Edwards a poor rating. Sixteen percent of the people polled did not have an answer.
According to the poll's final results, Edwards received a positive rating of 49 percent. UNC political science Professor Thad Beyle defined a positive rating as the combined percentages of "excellent" and "good" responses.
Overall ratings of elected officials are declining because of the economy, and Edwards' rating falls within the 40 percent to 60 percent range common for senators, he said.
But for North Carolinians, Edwards' popularity as a senator does not translate into approval as a presidential candidate. When asked whether they support or oppose Edwards' decision to seek the Democratic nomination for president, 35 percent of those polled said they support it, 40 percent said they are opposed and 25 percent didn't have an answer.
Patrick Basham, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a nonprofit public policy research foundation, said he is surprised by these results.
Considering the high rating of Edwards' performance as senator, the lack of support seems to stem from a desire to retain him as N.C. senator rather than from a question of whether he's qualified to be president, Basham said. Good ratings as a senator might do well for Edwards' self-esteem, but they don't help his bid for president, he added.
But Edwards' campaign spokeswoman, Jennifer Palmieri, said she has seen support at significantly greater percentages in other polls, crediting inconsistency to timing. "Opinions are not that well-formed yet," she said. "I'm not surprised to see the numbers move around."
Palmieri said she is confident that as the campaign progresses, Edwards will win state support.
But support won't shift anytime soon, Beyle said. "Other things have people's attention right now."
Aside from a potential change in sentiment, Beyle said, he thinks the Carolina Poll is an accurate representation of the state's view.
But Basham said the poll results, accurate or not, are unhelpful for Edwards because he would like to present himself as a Democrat able to win the support of a conservative state such as North Carolina.
Popularity? What popularity?
I wanna be polled! I wanna say poor poor POOR! to every question! :}
This is one North Carolinian that would love to get rid of him. Unfortunately, I'm not looking to promote him. Anyone out there need a good-looking, ambulance-chasing trial lawyer? He's free to a good home.
Bwahahahahahahahaha
So they're happy that socialism is advancing?
Myrick ruled out a run for senate in Decemberish, and hasn't made any noise about Gov.
Looks like Ballantine, Vinroot, and a couple others still looking at the governorship. It also looks like the legislative Republicans are going to let the controlling Democrats give Easley all the tax hikes he wants and then use it against him in the election.
UNC's Carolina Poll
now that's a polling source we can trust for its objectivity!
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defeat_the_dem_igods
That's right--and funny, isn't it, when Bush's approval rating starts to go down to the mid-to-low-50's, he's in trouble, but Edward at 49% is a positive thing? Go figure.
Even more ridiculous than you state. From the article:
The poll comprised opinions of 615 people and had a 4 percent margin of error.
Note this is not likely voters, not even registered voters, not even adults, not even residents, JUST PEOPLE.
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