Poll: Cooper, Medicaid expansion, HB2 repeal enjoy support

Jan. 20--RALEIGH -- North Carolinians are more likely to approve of Gov. Roy Cooper, want House Bill 2 repealed and Medicaid expanded and disapprove of Donald Trump as president, believing he will be a worse president than Barack Obama, according to a poll released Wednesday by left-leaning Public Policy Polling.

PPP says it interviewed 953 people between Jan. 13 and Jan. 16 and that the results have a margin of error of 3.2 percent.

The poll found that Cooper begins his governorship with an approval rating of 45 percent and a disapproval rating of 34 percent. Former Gov. Pat McCrory hadn't had an approval rating that high since April 2013, PPP reported.

And a majority of voters want McCrory to stay out of the governor's mansion -- 52 percent of those polled don't think he should run for governor again in 2020, compared to 38 percent who think he should.

House Bill 2

House Bill 2 is unpopular among North Carolinians polled, with 50 percent opposing it and 32 percent supporting. And 58 percent of people polled think HB2 is hurting the state, compared to 24 percent who think it's helping.

In addition, most people polled don't buy that HB2 is making the state safer. About 30 percent believe North Carolina is safer, while 52 percent think it isn't. That difference is even more stark among women polled; 26 percent believe the state is safer after HB2. House Bill 2 supporters say the bill is intended to protect women.

A slight majority of North Carolinians polled, 51 percent, want to see HB2 repealed, compared to 37 percent who think it should remain on the books. Of those who want to see it repealed, 73 percent blame the N.C. General Assembly for not repealing it, compared to 17 percent who blame the City of Charlotte, whose nondiscrimination ordinance the bill was meant to undo. Of those who want HB2 repealed, 68 percent said they blame Republicans for not repealing the bill, and 15 percent blame Democrats.

Medicaid expansion

When Gov. Roy Cooper announced his intention to pursue Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, 63 percent of those polled by PPP said they support the idea compared to 25 percent who don't. Democrats polled are overwhelmingly in favor, at 86 percent compared to 9 percent who don't want it expanded. Republicans polled are more split, with 38 percent supporting expansion and 41 percent against.

Trump

Donald Trump's performance among voters in November was better than attitudes toward him reflected in the PPP poll ahead of the inauguration. Trump won North Carolina, but of those polled by PPP, 49 percent see Trump negatively, compared to 44 percent favorably. Among those who say they voted for him, 14 percent don't see him favorably.

Barack Obama left office with a mixed approval rating among those polled by PPP -- 50 percent approved of him and 47 percent disapproved. When asked who they think will be a better president, North Carolinians polled chose Obama over Trump, 49 percent to 45 percent.

Of those polled, larger numbers said they want to see Trump divest himself of all of his business interests; want to see his tax returns; supported requiring a candidate to release 5 years of tax returns; don't want a wall with Mexico if they have to pay up front for it; think "what works in the Affordable Care Act" should stay in place; and feel U.S. intelligence agencies have more credibility than Trump.

Demographics

Most of those polled voted for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, and 29 percent described themselves as liberal, 30 percent as moderate and 41 percent as conservative. Most were women at 53 percent and the largest number said they are Democrats -- 41 percent compared to 33 percent Republicans and 25 percent Independent/other, according to PPP's report.

Most people who participated in the poll were white -- 72 percent compared to 21 percent who said they were African-American and 7 percent other. Forty percent were 46 to 65 years old, compared to 10 percent ages 18 to 29, 24 percent 30 to 45 and 26 percent older than 65.

Most people who participated in the poll had lived in North Carolina all their lives -- 59 percent compared to 41 percent who moved to the state from somewhere else.

Abbie Bennett: 919-836-5768, @AbbieRBennett

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