Holding Jumps out to Late Lead in Latest Civitas Poll | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal, and written by Lindsay Marchello, associate editor.

    Republican incumbent Rep. George Holding has garnered a significant lead against his opponents in the N.C. 2nd Congressional District race, according to the latest poll from the Civitas Institute.

    The Civitas Institute, a conservative public policy organization, released poll data on Tuesday, Oct. 30, on the race between Holding, Democratic candidate Linda Coleman, and Libertarian Jeff Matemu. Between Oct. 24 and Oct. 28, SurveyUSA, on behalf of the Civitas Institute, surveyed 565 likely voters in the 2nd District. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percent.

    Early voting continues through Saturday and Election Day is one week from today, Tuesday, Nov. 6.

    The September Civitas Poll showed a close race between Holding and Coleman, but now Holding is pulling ahead. Of those surveyed, 49 percent said they would vote for Holding compared to 40 percent who would choose Coleman. Just 2 percent said they would vote for Matemu while 9 percent are undecided.


From left, Spectrum News' Tim Boyum moderated a debate Oct. 22 between 2nd Congressional District candidate Linda Coleman, a Democrat, and incumbent Republican Rep. George Holding. (Photo from Spectrum News)
    Holding has gained a significant amount from the previous poll in which 43 percent of those surveyed would vote for him. In the September poll, 44 percent said they would vote for Coleman and 2 percent for Matemu. Ten percent were undecided.

    "This race has seen quite a turnaround since Labor Day, where multiple polls - including one from Civitas - indicated that Linda Coleman was slightly ahead in this race," Donald Bryson, the president of Civitas Institute, said. "Over the past month, this district has seen a significant influx of spending from the Holding campaign, as well as outside groups such as the Congressional Leadership Fund."

    The October poll also shows an increase in approval of President Donald Trump's job performance.Of the more than 500 likely voters surveyed, 52 percent approve of the job Trump is doing while 44 percent disapprove. In the September poll, only 40 percent approved of Trump's job performance, while 54 percent disapproved.

    Similarly, approval for the federal tax reform law has increased, although not as much as approval for the president's job performance. Approval went from 41 percent to 44 percent from September to October, and disapproval slightly decreased from 36 percent to 35 percent.

    "This poll parallels with the Civitas statewide poll released last week, and a few national polls, that show President Trump's job approval with a notable uptick in mid-to-late October to bring him just generally even," Bryson said. "Taken altogether, it appears that North Carolina, in general, may be a bellwether for the rest of the country, and this poll seems to corroborate that."