General Election Poll: President

John Edwards would be the strongest general election candidate for President in North Carolina, according to our newest poll. That may seem obvious to folks outside the state, but Hillary Clinton has actually been leading most recent polls in the state for the Democratic primary. The reality in North Carolina, like many other states, is that while a majority of Democrats may prefer Clinton or Barack Obama, Edwards is their surest ticket to reclaiming the White House.

The numbers:

Edwards 48 Rudy Giuliani 43
Edwards 50 Mike Huckabee 43
Edwards 52 Mitt Romney 40

Giuliani 46 Clinton 39
Huckabee 48 Clinton 42
Romney 46 Clinton 42

Giuliani 46 Obama 43
Huckabee 47 Obama 42
Romney 45 Obama 42

Giuliani and Huckabee appear to be roughly equal in performance as potential Republican nominees. Romney is slightly weaker.

Obama does slightly better than Clinton in all three potential general election matchups.

Full results here.