Governor Easley's Support Wide and Shallow

The 404 likely voters polled were asked to rate the job performance of Governor Mike Easley. The results can be viewed as either good or bad depending on one's perception of the Republican field lining up to run against Easley next year.

Slightly more than 10 percent rate the Governor's performance as "poor;" while less than 40 percent rate his performance as "good" or "excellent."(Click here for graphic) If you view the Republican field as having a strong challenger, then these numbers are not in the governor's best interest. On the other hand, if you view the Republican field as being relatively weak, then these numbers could be considered good news for Easley.

Nearly 44 percent of Democrats rate Easley's performance as "good" or "excellent;" while 33.8% Republicans and 26.2 percent Independents rate him that highly.

Across the board all three party classifications give him "fair": ratings at about the same level: Democrats - 42.2 percent; Republicans - 43.7 percent; Independents - 47.5 percent. Governor Mike Easley should be in a good position for reelection if: things don't get worse in North Carolina; the Republicans are unable to mount a strong gubernatorial challenge; and the incumbent Republican President fails to have strong coattails in North Carolina.

On the other hand, if the Republicans are able to mount a strong ground campaign as they did in 2002, the governor could find his support with enough holes punched in it to cause real problems. Additionally, if there is an anti-incumbent movement as discussed above, the governor's relatively low favorables may not be sufficient to see him through to reelection.