Summary:
- Governor Josh Stein riding high with +27 net approval, strong marks on Helene response
- Former Governor Cooper leads Senator Thom Tillis in hypothetical U.S. Senate matchup
- Permitless carry bill receives faces formidable and widespread public opposition
North Carolina voters remain almost evenly divided about President Trump and have swung decisively against many of the state’s federal office holders, but hold both the current and former Governors in high regard. The April 2025 edition of the Carolina Forward Poll also finds that likely 2026 voters have soured on the state legislature’s mishandling of Hurricane Helene relief.
President Trump’s favorability remains almost perfectly divided, with 49% of likely voters holding a favorable view and 48% an unfavorable one. Elon Musk’s favorability is below water, at -5 points. Both of North Carolina’s U.S. Senators are also seen unfavorably by voters, with Senator Thom Tillis at a whopping negative 15 points, and Senator Ted Budd at negative 6 points. By comparison, Governor Josh Stein rides high at a remarkable 16-point net favorability rating. Former Governor Roy Cooper also enjoys a comfortable 5-point net favorability, and both enjoy strong name recognition.
Several other major state leaders enjoy net-positive favorability, even though a plurality of voters say they don’t recognize their names, including Lt. Governor Rachel Hunt (+8 favorable), Attorney General Jeff Jackson (+16 favorable) and Justice Allison Riggs (+14 favorable). The lone exception is Judge Jefferson Griffin, who comes in at a whopping negative 11 points unfavorable, with almost half of voters not recognizing him.
Voters say they are largely pleased with how Governor Stein has managed the response to Hurricane Helene. By a 13-point margin, many more voters say they are satisfied with his response. The state legislature compares poorly, with exactly the same 13-point margin saying they are dissatisfied.
Interestingly, this pattern also holds for voters specifically within western North Carolina itself. Both Stein and the state legislature receive similar Helene response dissatisfaction scores (ratings 1-3) of 39% and 36%, respectively, but the Governor receives significantly better positive satisfaction scores as well. Voters in western North Carolina gave the Governor a 42% positive satisfaction score (ratings 5-7), compared to only 30% for the legislature.
In a theoretical head-to-head matchup in North Carolina’s 2026 U.S. Senate race, former Governor Roy Cooper edges out Senator Thom Tillis by just about 2 points. He also carries a majority of Independent voters outright.
Turning to the state legislature, the poll finds that a wide cross-section of voters opposes a Republican bill, Senate Bill 50, that would eliminate restrictions on the concealed carry of a handgun. Majorities of Independents, women and suburban voters all oppose the measure, as does a quarter of Republican voters themselves:
These findings reiterate the broad public opposition to the measure that other recent polling has found, including from Elon University and even the conservative John Locke Foundation. Policymakers are skirting strong voter pushback over such a reckless measure.
Readers can review the full topline report and crosstabs.
