The Democratic firm Public Policy Polling is out with their first look at the 2020 landscape in their home state of North Carolina, and they give Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper some good news. Cooper posts a positive 44-35 approval rating a little less than two years before he faces the voters, and PPP finds him leading all his hypothetical GOP opponents:
- 45-41 vs. former Gov. Pat McCrory
- 46-37 vs. Sen. Thom Tillis
- 47-35 vs. Lt. Gov. Dan Forest
- 48-34 vs. state Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger
- 46-32 vs. state House Speaker Tim Moore
Some of these matchups are a lot more likely to happen than others. Forest made it very clear he plans to run back in August, though he has yet to announce he’s in. McCrory, whom Cooper narrowly unseated in 2016, also said this month that he was considering another bid.
By contrast, Tillis announced last year that he was seeking re-election to the Senate in 2020, and we haven’t heard any indication that the former state House speaker is even remotely interested in changing course and running for governor instead. We also haven’t heard anything about either Berger or Moore challenging Cooper.