New poll: Cooper up by NINE

Granted, this is a poll conducted by Gary Pearce – the James Carville of North Carolina politics – and a group called Change Research.  Gary was Jim Hunt’s top political adviser for aeons.  So, he does know the game.

Before you dismiss this poll because of Gary’s political bio, think about THIS.  Some of the most favorable polling to Whatley thus far – a three point deficit in March and a four point deficit in July – was produced by notorious Democrat consulting firm Public Policy Polling (PPP).

All of these pollsters have some kind of political leaning.  But, at heart, they are business people.  Many of them will slant polls at some point during a campaign.  But the closer you get to Election Day, the sharper their pencils get and the more accurate their data gets.  Who could pass up an opportunity to say: “Hey, we were on the money with that 2026 US Senate race.”

Slanting a poll to aid your client is one thing.  Accuracy gets you hired for the next election cycle.

Now back to the Pearce / Change Research poll.   Change last polled this race in late January / early February,  That poll found:  Cooper 50, Whatley 40. 

(A total of 1069 likely voters were surveyed and there was a margin of error of 3.1 percent.)

The current poll by Gary & Change was done in late July / early August.  It shows the race at: Cooper 50, Whatley 41.    

(A total of 967 voters were surveyed and there was a MOE of 3.4 percent.)

So, these guys find Whatley gaining ONE POINT in six months.

In other findings, the current  Gary / Change poll found a 45-39 lead for Supreme Court justice Anita Earls (D) over state Rep. Sarah Stevens (R).  In February, Earls held a 45-43 lead over Stevens.

Early voting starts up in about 60 days.