NC voters sour on country’s direction, new poll says. How they see Trump, Stein

Happy chilly Friday morning!

I’m Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, a politics reporter, taking over Friday’s Under the Dome newsletter.

With the primary election approaching and the general election not far behind, and congressional, state House and Senate seats and other races on the ballot, it feels like a good time to close out the week with a look at a new North Carolina poll on voter sentiment. And while polls aren’t a crystal ball for predicting election outcomes, they can offer insight into where voters stand.

A new poll from the High Point University Survey Research Center does just that, asking voters about the direction of the country and their approval of the president and governor.

Among just over 1,000 North Carolina respondents, 39% said they approved of President Donald Trump’s job performance, while 49% said they disapproved. Those same respondents gave Democratic Gov. Josh Stein an approval rating of 45%, with 20% saying they disapproved. The remainder had no opinion.

Just over a third (33%) of North Carolinians said the country is headed in the right direction, while 57% said things have gone “seriously off on the wrong track,” according to the poll. On key issues, Trump received his highest approval ratings for his handling of the U.S. southern border (50%), national security (50%) and law enforcement (45%). He received his lowest marks for his handling of artificial intelligence (30%), LGBTQ policies (28%) and inflation (27%).

That snapshot comes as Trump’s national approval has dipped in recent polling. and the HPU Poll also included U.S. voter sentiment. Nationwide, respondents gave Trump a 35% job approval rating, while 56% said they disapproved.

For comparison, here’s how Trump’s Democratic predecessor fared in an HPU poll:

• In January 2023, a HPU poll found then-President Joe Biden had low approval, with 32% of North Carolinians approving and 55% disapproving.
• On key issues, Biden received his highest approval for his handling of COVID-19 (42%), education (40%), voting integrity (38%) and civil rights (37%). His lowest ratings came on gas prices (25%), the southern border (25%), inflation (20%), handling of classified documents (20%) and his son Hunter Biden’s work (16%).
• Just 20% of respondents at the time said the country was headed in the right direction, while more than two-thirds (68%) said it was on the wrong track.
• In that same poll, North Carolinians gave then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper a job approval rating of 48%. About 30% said they disapproved, while 22% said they had no opinion.

Wrapped

The year is nearing its end, and as most of us wrap up loose ends, state lawmakers are doing the same — though some major ones remain unresolved.

On Tuesday, House and Senate lawmakers will hold two meetings of joint oversight committees — one on health and human services, another on Medicaid.

In a similar meeting in October, Republican lawmakers pressed state health officials over their use of “vacancy savings” — money from unfilled jobs — to plug budget holes, with some calling the tactic a “slush fund.” Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services said the agency relies on the savings to cover costs that aren’t otherwise funded.

In November, Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek jumped into the debate, releasing a report that found hundreds of DHHS positions were left vacant, generating millions in unused salaries. The practice of using this to plug holes, the report said, “detracts from financial transparency.” Boliek went further, arguing that leaving jobs unfilled while cutting health care services puts bureaucracy ahead of patients.

Those comments referred to provider payment cuts to Medicaid the Stein administration implemented Oct. 1, citing underfunding by lawmakers. While Republican leadership in both legislative chambers agree that more funding is needed, the House and Senate have failed to reach a deal due to unrelated political fights.

We’ll see what comes of the joint oversight hearings, as well the next scheduled day of session on Dec. 15. But as of now, lawmakers appear set to close out the year without resolving Medicaid’s financing dispute — and without passing a state budget. Read below what House Speaker Destin Hall told my colleague Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan about the budget battle, taxes and more.

What else we’ve been working on

• With tax cuts at core of budget stalemate, see what NC speaker is floating for 2026 .
• NC Supreme Court race ‘can’t be a campaign about issues.’ What to expect instead.
• NC Senate Democrat rebuked by Republican leader for ‘unacceptable lack of decorum’
• New NC driving laws focus on heavy trucks in left lanes, tinted windows
• Sen. Ted Budd makes staff changes to focus on NC’s 2028 election. Yes, 2028.
• Embracing Trump and ‘America First,’ Michael Whatley files for NC’s Senate race

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Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi

The News & Observer

Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi is a politics reporter for the News & Observer. She reports on health care, including mental health and Medicaid expansion, hurricane recovery efforts and lobbying. Luciana previously worked as a Roy W. Howard Fellow at Searchlight New Mexico, an investigative news organization.