Survey says the Democrats and Republicans need a new rival.

Most North Carolinians want another major political party to rival the Republicans and Democrats, says a new survey by Meredith College.

The latest Meredith College Poll says 56.7 percent of registered voters surveyed agree with this statement: “The two parties do not do an adequate job of representing Americans and a third party is needed.”

More details: 56.3 percent of Democrats, 51.3 percent of Republicans and 67.1 percent of unaffiliated voters agree with that.

The survey appears to mirror North Carolina voter registration preferences in that second-largest and fastest-growing group of voters in North Carolina are the unaffiliated voters. As of Saturday, the state had nearly 2.5 million Democrats, nearly 2 million Republicans and more than 2.1 million voters who don’t belong to any political party. Those percentages are 37.3 percent, 30.2 percent and 32 percent.

There also were 1,290 people in the Green Party, 1,423 people in the Constitution Party and 36,812 people in the Libertarian Party. Combined, those three parties total less than 1 percent of all voters.

Some other findings that politicians and their advisors can note ahead of the 2020 elections:

• 59.4 percent of North Carolina voters surveyed are dissatisfied with the direction of the Country.

• 38.2 percent approve of the job the President Donald Trump is doing. (Specificaly: 10.6 percent of Democrats approve, 86 percent of Republicans approve and 34.4% of independent voters approve.)

• In governing the country, 22.2 percent of the respondents thought the president should have a larger role than Congress; 57 percent said Congress should have the larger role.

The poll surveyed 680 registered voters March 24 to April 1. The margin of error is 4 percent.

9th District election bits

Three protesters appeared at this past Monday’s candidate forum in Fayetteville for the 9th District Republican primary in support of Democratic candidate Dan McCready.

Linda Hopkins, Kathleen Henry and Gerard Falls held up signs and American flags as the GOP candidates and audience arrived at Morgan’s Chop House on McPherson Church Road.

Inside, eight of the 10 GOP special election candidates spoke to about 80 potential voters and others interested in what they had to say.

Notably absent from the forum was Repulbican Chris Anglin of Raleigh. The GOP leadership has told local Republican groups to exclude Anglin on the premise he isn’t really a Republican.

Anglin could have tried to gate-crash, but an advisor told The Fayetteville Observer that Anglin isn’t going impose himself on events if he’s not invited.

Instead, on April 10, Anglin sent a letter to the acting Republican Party chairperson demanding access to events and materials just as all the other GOP candidates.

“The Plan of Organization clearly states the State Republican Party is in no way to demonstrate favoritism in a primary,” his letter says.

Meanwhile, the other Republican candidates have had sniping among them.

Union County Commissioner Stony Rushing was unhappy that Sen. Dan Bishop used the National Rifle Association logo on a campaign mailer, a Rushing spokesman said.

In a letter to Bishop, which Rushing copied to Facebook, Rushing said the NRA limits use of its logo to official NRA communications. Rushing is a gun store owner.

As of Saturday, the NRA’s Political Victory Fund website says it has made no endorsements in 9th District election.

Political events

• Cumberland County Progressives: 2 p.m. Saturday, Sammio’s Italian Restaurant 2623 Raeford Road. Guest speaker Karla Icaza De Austin of Democracy North Carolina to speak on “Empowering the community vote.”

• Cumberland County Democratic Men’s Club: 6 p.m. April 23, K&W Carolina Kitchen, Bordeaux Shopping Center, 1758 Owen Drive, Fayetteville. Topic: Men’s Club business. Arrive by 5:30 p.m. if you wish to order dinner.

• 9th Congressional District 2019 District Convention: 11:30 a.m. April 27, Forest Hills High School Auditorium in Marshville. Keynote speaker: Candidate Dan McCready.

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