How North Carolinians rank Gov. Josh Stein in new High Point University poll
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Josh Stein received 46% approval and 24% disapproval in the HPU governor poll.
- Highest support went to Stein’s handling of veterans and voting integrity issues.
- North Carolina’s General Assembly saw only 35% approval in the same survey.
Good Sunday morning to you, and thanks for reading our Under the Dome newsletter. I’m Dawn Vaughan, The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief.
Political polls get a lot of attention during campaign season, but once a candidate wins an election, they need to do the work of actual governing. High Point University has a new poll out that asked North Carolinians what they think about their governor, Democrat Josh Stein.
HPU posed the question:
“Do you [approve or disapprove] of the way that Josh Stein is handling his job as governor?”
He received 46% approval, and 24% disapproval. Another 30% of those polled were “unsure.”
People were also polled about Stein’s handling of various issues.
Stein’s lowest ranking was on inflation, with just 29% approving, and his highest approval rating, at 51%, was for “supporting veterans,” followed by 50% approval of his handling of “voting integrity.” Stein also got high marks for his handling of Helene recovery, with 49% approving and 30% disapproving.
About a third of those polled were unsure for most of the questions.
High Point also polled residents about their approval or disapproval of how the General Assembly is handling its job.
Just 35% approved of the legislature, while another 32% disapproved and 33% were unsure.
NC lawmakers send bills to Gov. Stein, but not the budget
The General Assembly was back for just two days this past week, and only one workday for each chamber. They sent Stein a crime omnibus bill, “Iryna’s Law,” named for Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte light-rail train in August. Lawmakers also sent Stein a bill that helps address problems with the Division of Motor Vehicles.
And they sent him a mini budget bill that would fund infrastructure around the Lenovo Center sports and entertainment area.
What’s still waiting, and may not ever happen, is the big comprehensive two-year state budget, which is three months overdue. I wrote about what’s holding it up, and how it comes down to differences between House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate leader Phil Berger, both Republicans.
Podcast drops Tuesdays
Thanks for reading. Be sure to listen to our Under the Dome politics podcast that posts every Tuesday morning. Next week I’ll be joined by my politics team colleagues Avi Bajpai and Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi to talk about what the General Assembly left undone, like Medicaid funding and the budget. Contact me at dvaughan@newsobserver.com.
