The headline from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling reads,

Perdue or no Perdue, Dems would lose NC Gov today

The governor’s approval rating has slipped back to 30 percent, while 52 percent disapprove of her performance. She would trail her 2008 GOP opponent Pat McCrory 50-36 if the election were held today (and of course it won’t be).

Perhaps the more interesting news is that there may be no obvious white knight to rescue the Democrats. Former House Speaker Dan Blue and current Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton would both lose by 20 points to McCrory; Attorney General Roy Cooper would lose by only eight, but 56 percent of voters have no opinion of him. Given the fact that Cooper has been largely absent when, on his watch, former Gov. Mike Easley was convicted on felony charges for campaign finance violations; a separate federal grand jury is investigating former Sen. John Edwards (also for campaign anomalies); and Cooper has refused to join a multistate lawsuit exempting North Carolinians from the unpopular Obamacare reforms, he may not exactly be the person who could rally the troops, if you know what I mean.