52 percent of voters back Dole, poll says

More than half of North Carolinians approve of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, even as Democrats seek a strong candidate to unseat the veteran Republican, according to a poll released Friday.

Dole has said her party faces "the worst political environment in memory," but she still has the support of 52 percent of voters, according to a poll released by Elon University. Another 18 percent of respondents remained unsure when polled this week.

Poll director Hunter Bacot said that while the numbers leave Dole "sitting pretty," he was surprised the state's senior senator didn't have support around the 60 percent level.

"She hasn't sustained or maintained any visibility in the state for a while, so that could have an effect," Bacot said. "And you have to wonder what effect the president has on those numbers."

The poll surveyed 476 adults from households in North Carolina between Monday and Thursday. It has a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points.

President Bush's approval rating dropped to 36 percent in the poll -- a sharp decline from a September poll that showed 45 percent of North Carolinians supported the president.

Dole, 70, spent the past two years as chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. She led the party through the November election, when a Democratic surge sparked by opposition to the war in Iraq forced Republicans into the minority.

Although some observers questioned whether Dole would continue her political career and seek re-election in 2008, she has returned to the campaign trail with prowess. Dole raised more than $1.7 million during the first three months of this year.

She also has a long background in national politics. Dole served in the cabinets of former President Ronald Reagan and former President George H.W. Bush, and she ran for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination four years after her husband, Bob Dole, was the GOP nominee for president. Dole dropped her campaign before the primaries.

Meanwhile, Democrats are still looking for possible challengers. U.S. Rep. Brad Miller has said he is considering a possible run. Gov. Mike Easley, who is barred from seeking a third term as governor, has denied rumors that he will run for Senate, although Andy Taylor, a political scientist at N.C. State University, said Easley's candidacy remains a possibility.

"Dole will have to be on the lookout to see who emerges as a Democratic opponent," Taylor said. "It's going to be very difficult whoever the Democratic candidate is, but it's clearly not impossible."

Taylor noted that North Carolina voters have shown a penchant for selecting Republicans in statewide races for federal positions, and he said most voters think the problems in Washington have originated from the White House.