N.C. Rep. Bill Faison, D-Orange, is no stranger to poor polling numbers. In December, the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling found that Faison was even less popular among Democrats than Gov. Bev Perdue — yes, the same Perdue who just quit the governor’s race.
PPP has a new poll (PDF download) showing that Faison is almost dead last in popularity in a head-to-head match with Republican Pat McCrory. The two Democrats who perform the best: Erskine Bowles and Kay Hagan, though both still trail McCrory.
The N&O‘s Under the Dome blog reports on the margin by which other candidates or potential candidates trail McCrory (emphasis mine):
For other Democrats being mentioned as potential candidates, here’s how they stack up: former State Treasurer Richard trails by 11 percentage points, Congressman Brad Miller by 14, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and former Congressman Bob Etheridge by 15, Congressman Heath Shuler by 17, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and state Sen. Dan Blue by 18; state Rep. Bill Faison by 19; and Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines, former Raleigh mayor Charles Meeker and Congressman Mike McIntyre by 20 points.
It goes without saying that Faison’s polling numbers could jump significantly in a situation as fluid as the Democratic primary. Even so, it’s a bad sign that the Orange County Democrat polls nearly as poorly as Winston-Salem’s mayor.