North Carolinians on Repeal

North Carolinians have complex feelings about the health care bill passed last year that don't fall simply into either the 'repeal' or 'don't repeal' categories.

Only 33% of voters in the state support a full repeal of the bill. Another 21% are in favor of repealing certain parts of the bill, but not the entire thing. That's consistent with PPP findings during the debate about whether to pass it last year-while North Carolinians said they were opposed to the overall bill they were very supportive of several of its major provisions. The largest group of voters in the state, at 36%, actually wants the bill not just to stand but also to be strengthened. Only 7% want the bill to be kept intact exactly in its current form.

Legislative Republicans are in line with their party base by supporting a full repeal- that's the stance of 62% of GOP voters in the state. They are not, however, on the same page as independent voters whose overwhelming support of Republican legislative candidates gave the party its new majorities. There are more independents- 35%- who want to see the health care bill strengthened than there are- 33%- who would like the bill to be completely repealed.

This issue is a great example of where Republican could cause themselves trouble this year by over reading their mandate. Independents may have voted for them last year but that didn't mean they agreed with everything in the GOP agenda and this is a case where there's some tension between the priorities of the new majority and the voters who made it possible. Many more issues along these lines will crop up over the course of this year's session and how the Republicans handle them may determine whether their new power lasts only for two years, or for many more years to come.

Full results here