Nearly 90 percent of North Carolina voters say that the economy is the most important issue that the state faces in the upcoming primary election, according to a poll released today. Health care ranked second with 81 percent and the Iraq war was third with 80 percent.

The poll, conducted April 14-17 by the nonpartisan Elon University Institute for Politics and Public Affairs, surveyed 543 state residents. The poll has a margin of error of 4.3 percentage points.

When asked to compare the major political parties and the presidential candidates, those polled gave conflicting answers.

Poll respondents said that Democrats were better prepared to handle most issues, including health care, education, the economy and the war in Iraq. Republicans were considered better equipped than Democrats to handle only immigration.

However, when asked which presidential candidate was best able to handle these issues, those responding said Republican Sen. John McCain could best handle issues involving immigration, the Iraq war, family values, and taxes. Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton was identified as the best candidate to handle health care and education.

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, was not selected best overall to handle any of these issues.

"In these results there are obvious contrasts expressed by citizens," say Hunter Bacot, director of the Elon University Poll. "On the one hand they differ between favored party and favored candidate, but, on the other, they are quite resolute about where things stand and why," said Bacot. "We should not be surprised by these results as it is the very incongruity that epitomizes North Carolina politics," he said.

The majority of respondents also said that the country has "strongly gotten off on the wrong track."

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