There’s bad news for Trump and Republicans in a new North Carolina poll | Opinion
Deputy Opinion Editor Paige Masten is covering the 2026 election for The Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh News & Observer.
The latest poll of North Carolina voters spells further trouble for President Donald Trump and Republicans in a key battleground state.
The first set of results from the survey, released Tuesday by Catawba College’s Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service, found that North Carolinians continue to disapprove of Trump but remain more divided on some of his policies.
Trump’s approval rating is at 44%, the poll found, which is unchanged from when the poll was last conducted in October. But particularly noteworthy is the fact that Republicans seem to have somewhat tempered their support for the president. Only 56% of Republicans now say they “strongly” support Trump, which is down from 62% in October. Also interesting: 41% of voters in rural counties now say they strongly or somewhat approve of Trump, compared to 52% in October.
Trump continues to have low approval ratings on his handling of the economy, as well as tariffs and inflation. On immigration, North Carolinians are evenly split, with 43% saying they are confident and 43% saying they are not confident in Trump’s handling of the issue. In June, 47% were confident in Trump’s decision-making on immigration. When it comes to sending federal agents or the military into cities to arrest undocumented immigrants, 42% are confident, while 44% are not confident. Note: The poll was conducted prior to the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis last month, which caused further damage to Trump in some subsequent national polls.
The survey also asked voters their opinion on various current events. In general, it seems North Carolinians aren’t keen on Trump abandoning his doctrine of “America First” in favor of more interventionism. Here are some takeaways:
- A majority of respondents said Trump should have informed Congress of his military operations in Venezuela, and just one-third said they approve of Trump’s plan to run the South American country until a leadership transition can take place.
- Six out of 10 North Carolinians disapprove of military action to acquire Greenland from Denmark.
- Just 37% of voters would approve of U.S. military action against Iran.
Overall, the results show that the economy continues to be a weak point for Republicans, and they no longer have the advantage they once did on immigration, either. That creates opportunities for Democrats in the midterms, and it forces Republicans to reckon with the fact that Trump and his policies simply aren’t very popular in North Carolina.
This story was originally published February 3, 2026 at 12:38 PM with the headline "There’s bad news for Trump and Republicans in a new North Carolina poll | Opinion."
