Civitas Results: DOT

This morning I wrote about how I thought the Democratic candidates for Governor were spending way too much time talking about DOT, which does not strike me as a particularly big issue for state voters.

There was a little confirmation of that in today's Civitas Poll. Folks were asked to choose from a list of seven issues which they thought the state most needed to deal with. Improving roads and highways finished sixth on the list, with just 7%. Voters are most concerned with health care, improving public education, and job creation. That's an indication the economic stimulus plan Richard Moore is promising to roll out in the next few weeks could help him score more points than what he's been talking about- and that Bev Perdue's constant statement that she wants to make North Carolina 'the healthiest and most well educated' state in the country is in touch with what voters are thinking about.

That said, NC voters do think, by a 72-14 margin, that DOT members should not be able to raise political funds. They also think, 58-37, that DOT is not efficiently managing road building and repair in the state. I have no doubt DOT is not that popular or that folks think it should be depoliticized- I just don't think it's going to have much impact on anyone's vote for Governor.