Just 27 percent of North Carolina's likely voters approve of Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, according to a new survey from Public Policy Polling released Monday.

Another 26 percent disapprove of his work, the Democratic polling firm said.

Nearly half the respondents, 46 percent, said they were ambivalent about Burr, of Winston-Salem, saying they "aren't sure" about their opinion of the first-term senator.

Dean Debnam, Public Policy Polling president, said that the results indicate Burr could be vulnerable in his re-election race in two years.

"Incumbency is a powerful force, but much less so when an elected official is not all that well known," Debnam said in a statement. "The high level of ambiguity toward Burr shows that in his first term he has not done much to enter into the public consciousness."

According to the survey, 13 percent of Democrats and 23 percent of independents approved of Burr. His approval rating among Republicans was 48 percent.

Burr spokesman Chris Walker found the silver lining in the survey. "This just goes to show we need to do more to show the good things we're doing in Congress," he said.

The polling firm surveyed 507 likely voters June 16-17. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

Perdue's money list

Beverly Perdue had received $9.9 million in donations by the end of June.

The Democratic gubernatorial nominee raised $2.3 million from donors in the second quarter of 2008, according to a report filed with the State Board of Elections.

Major donors included Belk stores President Tom Belk; UNC President Erskine Bowles' wife, Crandall; Perdue's sons, Emmett and Garrett; Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand; Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers; retiree Wallace Hyde; lawyer David Kirby; SAS executive John Sall; and Mona Lisa Wallace, law partner of former Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Graham.

Perdue also raised $223,436 from political action committees, including the Association for Home & Hospice Care of N.C., Blue Cross and Blue Shield's Employee PAC, the Corning Inc. Employee PAC, the Democratic Governors Association of N.C., the Teamsters' DRIVE PAC, the International Paper PAC, the McGuire Woods PAC, the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers PAC and the N.C. Home Builders Association.

She also loaned her campaign $130,000 on April 25. In addition to a first quarter loan of $500,000 and outstanding debt of $275,000 to her husband from a previous election, her campaign owes $905,000.

She had cash on hand of $1.4 million at the end of the second quarter.

McCrory's money list

Pat McCrory had received $2.2 million in donations by the end of June.

The Republican gubernatorial nominee raised $1.1 million from donors in the second quarter of 2008, according to a report filed with the State Board of Elections.

Major donors included Belk executive John Belk, former U.S. Sen. Jim Broyhill, Bojangles' owner Joseph Drury, NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, Raleigh real estate executive John Kane, Captive-Aire Systems owner Bob Luddy, Variety Wholesalers executive James Pope and Duke Energy President Ellen Ruff.

He received $450 in the second quarter from political action committees.

His campaign has received no loans. He had cash on hand of $709,448 at the end of the second quarter.

Presidential campaigns

The presidential campaigns are reaching out to North Carolina in different ways.

In recent weeks, the campaigns of both presumptive nominees, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, have been sending e-mail to Dome and calling in earnest.

For now, McCain is more active, but Obama might soon be putting more resources here.

Starting in late June, McCain's regional communications director, Mario Diaz, began contacting Dome with news releases and suggestions for stories. A former TV anchor from the Tampa area, Diaz works on the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and Florida out of a Tallahassee office.

Obama's campaign was in regular contact with Dome leading up to the May 6 primary, though communications fell off after the circus left town.

In mid-July, Obama named Marc Farinella state director for his campaign. Farinella knows North Carolina well, having worked for Erskine Bowles' Senate bid in 2002 and Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue's re-election in 2004.

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