General Election: Governor

Pat McCrory 45
Bev Perdue 45

The general election race for Governor starts as a dead heat, just as it was when PPP last polled Perdue against McCrory in February.

One key reason is that McCrory is getting more crossover support than Perdue at this time. While Perdue earns just 14% of Republican votes, McCrory is getting support from 20% of Democrats.

That disparity could well be a result of the kind of primary each just went through- McCrory pretty much got a free pass from his Republican rivals, while Perdue got hammered by Richard Moore.

I think it's a good bet that some of Moore's supporters are saying they're for McCrory, or that they're undecided.

While the Republican candidates held a joint press conference last Wednesday, there has been no sign of unity between Moore and Perdue. It is incumbent upon the Perdue campaign to reach out to Moore, work to smooth over the hard feelings, and get on the same page. Moore should record a call endorsing Perdue that can be sent out to Democratic voters across the state.

The candidates are evenly matched throughout the state except in McCrory's Charlotte region, where he leads 58-35, and in Perdue's northeastern part of the state, where she leads 62-28.

Full results here.