Democrats will have a tough time hanging on to state Sen. R.C. Soles’ seat if the results of a new Civitas Poll continue into the fall. A survey found that Republican Bill Rabon leads Democrat David Redwine by 15 percent:
Rabon?s lead is built among strong support from unaffiliated voters where he leads Redwine by a 51 percent-28 percent margin. Also, despite a competitive primary, Rabon has been able to rally the Republican base vote with 87 percent of Republicans saying they would vote for him.
?While this district leans slightly Republican, Rabon has been able to open a significant early lead due to the boost in his name identification as a result of the primary,? said Civitas Institute Senior Legislative Analyst Chris Hayes. ?Unaffiliated voters are breaking heavily to Republican candidates across North Carolina, and Rabon is benefiting from this momentum.?
The results are doubly significant because of Redwine’s past clout in the Democratic Party. For years he was a budget power-broker in the House before losing his seat to Bonner Stiller in 2002.
