Despite the fact that North Carolina's GOP lawmakers have been trying to muzzle bad publicity on their discriminatory HB2 law, it remains highly unpopular among residents in the latest PPP survey. A majority, 56 percent, believe the transphobic law is damaging the state and 50 percent want it repealed (vs. 38 percent who want to keep it), with independents supporting repeal by a 46/39 spread.
Only 35% of voters in the state support the bill, to 44% who are opposed to it. We continue to find that there are a lot more Republicans (28%) who are opposed to it than there are Democrats (16%) in support of it. [...]
The reason for voters wanting HB2 repealed are pretty straightforward- they think it's hurting the state both economically and in terms of its national reputation. Overall only 29% of voters believe HB2 is helping North Carolina, to 56% who think it's hurting. That includes a 29/53 spread with independents. [...] Even among Republicans 14% more think it's negatively affecting the state's economy than positively. And just 24% of voters think HB2 is helping the state's national reputation, to 53% who think it's hurting. [...]
On the whole 2 months after HB2's passage it's not getting any more popular.
Bad news indeed for state Republicans who have been twisting arms to intimidate people out of vocally opposing HB2.
PPP also says the gubernatorial race between between GOP Gov. Pat McCrory, who enacted HB2, and Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper is shaping up to be "the country's premier Governor's race" this fall.
McCrory continues to be unpopular, with 44% of voters approving of him to 49% who disapprove, making it 35 months in a row now we've found him under water in our polling. But Cooper's image has taken a little bit of a hit in the last month as well, as negative tv ads started running against him- he's gone from a 37/27 favorability to 30/33 since our April poll.