North Carolina

Poll: Lawfare backfiring on Biden in North Carolina, Trump stays strong

Published

2 years ago

June 18, 2024

Poll: Lawfare backfiring on Biden in North Carolina, Trump stays strong

RALEIGH, N.C., June 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Former President Trump continues to lead President Joe Biden in the Tarheel state, as efforts to convict and possibly imprison the former President appear to be backfiring on N.C. Democrats, according to a new poll of 600 likely general election voters conducted by Spry Strategies from June 7 – June 11. Spry employs a hybrid method that combines multiple data collection methods: IVR, Live Landline & Online Mobile. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 4.0 percentage points. Results are weighted. Some percentages in crosstab reports for this poll may not add to 100% due to rounding.

Trump leads Biden in a head-to-head matchup by 4% with 48% indicating they will vote for Trump with 44 % indicating they plan to vote for Biden. 8.5% are undecided. Trump’s lead expands when independent Robert F. Kennedy is included with 45% indicating they will support Trump, 37% favoring Biden and 8% Kennedy. The Kennedy campaign has submitted signatures in effort to qualify for the North Carolina ballot and the signature drive is under review by the Democratic party-controlled North Carolina Board of Elections.

The Spry results are similar to other recent polls. Currently, Trump is leading in the Real Clear Politics avg of NC polls by 5.3%. Biden has not led a public North Carolina poll since March of 2023.

57% of North Carolina voters disapprove of the job President Biden is doing, with half of all NC voters strongly disapproving.

Asked to reflect on Mr. Trump’s time as President, 52% of voters indicated they approve of the job he did as President while 46% disapprove.

Interesting that of the Trump supporters, 79% say they voted for Trump in 2016 and/or 2020. However, 14% said they recently became a Trump supporter “because of the sad state of the nation under Joe Biden. 1.6% of Trump supporters said they were “anti-Trump until the weaponization of the Justice system” was used against him.

Biden weak with his own party

Trump is commanding a full 85% of Republicans while Biden is only winning 71% of self-identified Democrats.

Trump support among African Americans, and youth rises

Joe Biden is currently attracting less than half of African American voters (49%) with Trump attracting 23% and RFK 20%.

“Former President Trump continues to show historic strength with African-Americans, who normally fall into the Democratic camp,” said Spry Strategies President, Ryan Burrell. “We know this not only because of our survey results along with others, but the recent actions of the Biden campaign clearly show they are worried about this problematic trend. Trump’s incredible support in NC with African Americans could help Mark Robinson, and Mark Robinson may be responsible for some of the Trump’s historic support with this crucial demographic.”

Biden continues to struggle with key age groups. The only age group Biden is currently winning is the youth vote. (18-34)

Biden leads Trump 38% to 34%, a historically small margin for Democrats. RFKJ is pulling 15%.

Trump leads every other age group.

35-54 — Trump 50%, Biden 33%, RFK 9%

55-64 — Trump 49%, Biden 36%, RFK 3%

65-Up — Trump 44%, Biden 41%, RFK 3%

When voters were asked whether “their families economic security and personal safety was better under Biden or Trump,” half of voters said Trump while only 35% said Biden. 10% of Democrats say that their situation was better under Trump. Half of independent/unaffiliated voters say life was better under Trump while only 1/3 say life has been better under Biden. 29% of African Americans say life was better under Trump and a whopping 80% of Hispanics agree.

On Trump’s New York criminal trial 56% of voters believe the guilty verdict along with the other charges against Trump are politically motivated, while 40% disagree. Of the people who believe the charges are political, a whopping 85% blame Biden and the Department of Justice. Half of voters say the criminal conviction will not make any difference in how they vote with slightly more voters saying the conviction makes them less likely to vote for Trump (27%) as opposed to more likely to vote for him (23%).

Do you believe the guilty verdict was politically motivated?

“Trump remains in strong position in North Carolina, perhaps as strong as he has ever been,” said Burrell. “As this point in 2020 the Real Clear Politics average was Biden +1, and today it is Trump 5.3%. It is worth noting that Trump exceeded his mid-June avg of +1 in 2016, winning by 3.7% and in 2020 actual winning North Carolina by 1.3% will training in the RCP avg by 1 point.”

For down-ballot North Carolina Republicans, a strong showing by Trump will be key to other statewide victories. The Spry survey showed 43% of North Carolina voters favoring Republican Mark Robinson, with 39% favoring Democrat Josh Stein. 13% remain undecided.

45% of North Carolina voters view Mr. Robinson favorably while 42% see him unfavorably. Mr. Stein is also viewed favorably by 45% of voters but only 23% view him as unfavorable.

Two other key statewide races for Lt. Governor and State Supreme Court are statically tied. Republican Hal Weatherman leads Democrat Rachel Hunt by less than a point with roughly 38% of voters supporting each candidate with a huge 21% undecided. Similarly, Democrat Allison Riggs leads Republican Jefferson Griffin for North Carolina Supreme Court 39% to 37%.

However, Republicans are leading the congressional generic ballot by 8 points 48% to 40%.

Would you support the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate?

“The central question at this point is can Republicans solidify support down the ballot,” said Burrell. “Recent history shows that 3-5% of North Carolina voters will support Trump and Democratic statewide candidates. If Trump can hold or increase his lead to 5% or better, Republicans will have a strong showing. If Biden can close the gap to a couple of points, both parties will have some victories to crow about.”

Trump continues to be closer to North Carolina voters on the topic of illegal immigration. When asked, “Would you support mass deportation of immigrants who entered the country illegally,” 62% of North Carolina voters are in support, while only 33% disagree. 90% of Republicans are in support as are 58% of unaffiliated voters along with 36% of Democrats.

“I think this shows that Biden’s extreme open border policies are grating on the American people’s compassion for immigration. I think voters of all parties see a complete lack of hope that the border situation will improve, and the American people are concerned about the waves of able-bodied males coming in unvetted, from 137 plus counties around the world. They remember the securest border in decades under Trump.”

About Spry Strategies:

Spry Strategies is a Tennessee based polling and consulting firm specializing hybrid-method polling, data modeling, live landline and cellphone advocacy calls, MMS/video messaging and consulting for businesses, governments, political campaigns, political action committees, advocacy groups and nonprofits. We utilize breakthrough research technology with the world’s first multi-mode survey platform and have executed our polling and other services in 38 states with a heavy focus in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Michigan, Texas, and our home state of Tennessee.

Ryan Burrell

President

Spry Strategies

ryan@spryresearch.com

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North Carolina

Statewide tornado drill has NC schools and workplaces practicing safety

Published

28 minutes ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Statewide tornado drill has NC schools and workplaces practicing safety

Wednesday, March 4, 2026 6:41PM

NC schools and businesses encouraged to practice tornado safety

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina schools and businesses took part in a statewide tornado drill Wednesday morning as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.

The National Weather Service led the drill at 9:30 a.m., broadcasting it on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System. Schools, workplaces and households across the state were encouraged to join in.

The National Weather Service didn’t issue a follow up alert to mark the end of the drill. Instead, each school or business wrapped up once they felt they had practiced the procedures thoroughly.

Wednesday’s drill also replaced the regular weekly NOAA Weather Radio test.

SEE | New warning for parents amid new ‘fire-breathing’ social media trend

Make sure to download the ABC 11 Mobile App ABC11 North Carolina Apps for Connected TV, Mobile News, Echo

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North Carolina

North Carolina Rep. Valerie Foushee holds narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam

Published

13 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

North Carolina Rep. Valerie Foushee holds narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam

Nida Allam in 2022; Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) in 2025.

Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee holds a narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam in the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional district as ballots continue to be counted.

In a race seen as an early test of whether Democratic voters desire generational change within the party, Foushee holds a lead of just over 1,000 votes with 99% of results in so far, according to the Associated Press.

Under state law, provisional votes will be counted in the coming days in a district that includes Durham and Chapel Hill. If the election results end up within a 1% margin, Allam could request a recount.

Successfully ousting an incumbent lawmaker is often extremely difficult and rare. However, there have been recent upsets in races as some voters are calling for new leaders and several sitting members of Congress face primary challengers this cycle.

Allam, a 32-year-old Durham County Commissioner, is running to the left of Foushee, 69, framing her candidacy as part of a broader rejection of longtime Democratic norms.

On the campaign trail, Allam ran on an anti-establishment message, pledging to be a stronger fighter than Foushee in Congress, both in standing up against President Trump’s agenda and when pushing for more ambitious policy.

“North Carolina is a purple state that often gets labeled red, but we’re not a red state,” she told NPR in an interview last month, emphasizing the need to address affordability concerns. “We are a state of working-class folks who just want their elected officials to champion the issues that are impacting them.”

She drew a contrast with the congresswoman on immigration, voicing support for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Foushee has declined to go that far, advocating instead for ICE to be defunded and for broader reforms to the federal immigration system.

Allam also clashed with Foushee over U.S. policy towards Israel. As a vocal opponent of Israel’s war in Gaza, Allam swore off campaign donations from pro-Israel lobbying groups, such as AIPAC, and repeatedly criticized Foushee for previously accepting such funds.

Though Foushee announced last year that she would not accept AIPAC donations this cycle, she and Allam continued to spar over the broader role of outside spending in the race.

Their matchup comes four years after the candidates first squared off in 2022, when Allam lost to Foushee in what became the most expensive primary in the state’s history, with outside groups spending more than $3.8 million.

However, this year is poised to break that record. Outside groups have reported spending more than $4.4 million on the primary matchup, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

WUNC’s Colin Campbell contributed to this report.

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North Carolina

Building for tomorrow’s storms: North Carolina updates flood strategy

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Building for tomorrow’s storms: North Carolina updates flood strategy

North Carolina is beginning to plan for floods that have not happened yet.

State officials this year advanced the next phase of the state’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint, incorporating updated modeling that factors in heavier rainfall, future development and sea-level rise — a shift away from relying solely on historic data and FEMA’s regulatory maps.

“We can make decisions and plan for that future, not just the exposure to flooding that we see now,” said Stuart Brown, who manages the Flood Resiliency Blueprint for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

For a state that has endured record-breaking rainfall from Hurricane Helene in the mountains to Tropical Storm Chantal in the Triangle, the move reflects a growing recognition: past standards no longer capture present risk.

Beyond outdated flood lines

Multiple North Carolina studies have found that between 43% and 60% of flood damage occurs outside FEMA’s regulatory flood zones. Those maps shape insurance requirements and local zoning decisions, yet they are largely based on historical rainfall data.

“A lot of the regulatory floodplains really haven’t kept up with what we know is happening,” said Elizabeth Losos, executive in residence at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability.

Climate data show rainfall intensity in the Triangle has increased by about 21% since 1970. Warmer air holds more moisture, fueling heavier downpours that overwhelm drainage systems designed for a different climate.

“Fixing what we know is flooding right now is good,” Losos said. “It’s better than nothing, but it’s definitely not enough.”

Brown said the blueprint incorporates projections for future precipitation and development — a critical factor in one of the fastest-growing states in the country.

“Development can be an issue for flooding in two categories,” Brown said. “One is when that development is occurring in areas that are flood prone. The other is when that development is done in ways that don’t account for the additional stormwater that will be produced.”

Thousands of projects, limited dollars

Unlike states that rely on massive levee systems, North Carolina’s flood risk is scattered across river basins, coastal plains and rapidly developing suburbs. Brown said resilience here will require thousands of localized projects.

“We were asked by the General Assembly to provide specific, actionable projects,” Brown said. “We want to know what specific geography and what specific action is proposed.”

That planning push comes as federal support for flood research and mitigation is shrinking.

The Trump administration has proposed a roughly 30% cut to NOAA’s 2026 budget, targeting climate research and ocean services that provide the rainfall and coastal data states use to model flood risk. At FEMA, the administration has cut staff by more than 6%, reduced funding for local hazard mitigation projects and added new approval layers for grants.

For North Carolina, that means fewer dollars for buyouts, drainage upgrades and flood control projects — and less federal data to guide long-term planning — just as the state is trying to build a more forward-looking flood strategy.

Brown said North Carolina is trying to “leverage the limited dollars that we have in the state with any federal sources that are available” and embed resilience into routine investments in transportation, water treatment and conservation.

“Funding is always going to be an issue,” Brown said.

The policy gap

Researchers have long argued that resilience investments save money. Studies show every $1 spent on mitigation can yield $4 to $13 in avoided losses.

“The problem is that the policies don’t align the people who pay the cost with the people who get the benefit,” Losos said.

A developer may not directly benefit from downstream flood reduction. A town may shoulder upfront infrastructure costs while insurers, neighboring communities or future taxpayers capture part of the savings.

Without policy changes that align costs and benefits, resilience can remain politically and financially difficult.

“In the most severe cases, there are some communities that will have to eventually abandon if they don’t begin to think about how they can adapt to these conditions,” Losos said.

North Carolina now has updated tools to better measure future flood risk. Whether the state can secure stable federal support — and align its own policies with the risks ahead — will determine how effectively communities prepare for the next storm rather than recover from the last one.

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