

Raleigh, N.C. – North Carolina voters are starting to warm up to almost certain Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

The former Massachusetts governor trails President Obama by just one point (47-48) after trailing by 5 (44-49) in the last statewide general election poll in mid-April.

The modest gain for Romney comes as North Carolinians are starting to view the presumptive nominee more favorably. 37% of voters have a favorable opinion of Romney, up from 29% in April. Romney was viewed unfavorably by 53% of voters, down from 58% in April.

Obama’s approval rating remained steady, dropping just 1 point to 48%. His disapproval rating rose 2 points to 50%.

Independents are the driving force behind the swing in Romney’s favor. The Republican candidate is gaining ground with independents, while President Obama is losing ground. Romney’s favorability with independents has spiked 14 points since April to 39%, while Obama’s approval rating with independents is down 9 points to 43%. In a head-to-head matchup with Obama, Romney leads 48-44 with independents. Obama led 51-38 with independents in April.

Senator Richard Burr’s approval rating is 30%, with 35% disapproving. Adding Burr to the Romney ticket would worsen Romney’s chances against Obama by 1 point, with Obama-Biden leading Romney-Burr 48-46.

“Our monthly Presidential polls in North Carolina tell the same story time and time again,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “It’s one of the most closely contested swing states in the country with neither candidate likely to take it by much more than 2 or 3 points.”

PPP surveyed 666 North Carolina voters from May 10th to 13th. The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.8%. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews.

Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.

Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of President

Barack Obama’s job performance?

Approve …………………………………………………. 48%

Disapprove……………………………………………… 50%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 3%

Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion

of Ron Paul?

Favorable……………………………………………….. 28%

Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 48%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 25%

Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion

of Mitt Romney?

Favorable……………………………………………….. 37%

Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 53%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%

Q4 If the candidates for President this year were

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Ron

Paul, who would you vote for?

Barack Obama………………………………………… 48%

Ron Paul ………………………………………………… 43%

Undecided………………………………………………. 10%

Q5 If the candidates for President this year were

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt

Romney, who would you vote for?

Barack Obama………………………………………… 48%

Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 47%

Undecided………………………………………………. 5%

Q6 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator

Richard Burr’s job performance?

Approve …………….. .30%

Disapprove…………. .35%

Not sure …………….. .35%

Q7 If the Democratic ticket was Barack Obama for

President and Joe Biden for Vice President,

and the Republican ticket was Mitt Romney for

President and Richard Burr for Vice President,

which would you vote for?

Obama-Biden………………………………………….. 48%

Romney-Burr ………………………………………….. 46%

Undecided………………………………………………. 6%

Q8 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion

of Gary Johnson?

Favorable……………………………………………….. 6%

Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 16%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 78%

Q9 If the candidates for President this year were

Democrat Barack Obama, Republican Mitt

Romney, and Libertarian Gary Johnson, who

would you vote for?

Barack Obama………………………………………… 46%

Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 44%

Gary Johnson …………………………………………. 6%

Undecided………………………………………………. 4%

Q10 Do you think North Carolina will be a swing

state in the Presidential race this year, or not?

It will………………………………………………………. 58%

It will not…………………………………………………. 20%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 22%

Q11 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,

somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat

conservative, or very conservative?

Very liberal ……………………………………………… 11%

Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 17%

Moderate………………………………………………… 29%

Somewhat conservative……………………………. 25%

Very conservative ……………………………………. 19%

Q12 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.

Woman ………………………………………………….. 54%

Man……………………………………………………….. 46%

Q13 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,

press 2. If you are an independent or identify

with another party, press 3.

Democrat ……………………………………………….. 48%

Republican……………………………………………… 34%

Independent/Other…………………………………… 18%

Q14 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,

press 2. If other, press 3.

White …………………………………………………….. 73%

African-American …………………………………….. 23%

Other……………………………………………………… 5%

Q15 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to

45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are

older than 65, press 4.

18 to 29………………………………………………….. 16%

30 to 45………………………………………………….. 28%

46 to 65………………………………………………….. 36%

Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%

Q16 Area Code

252………………………………………………………… 11%

336………………………………………………………… 21%

704………………………………………………………… 19%

828………………………………………………………… 12%

910………………………………………………………… 12%

919………………………………………………………… 25%