Cooper maintains lead over Whatley as pocketbook issues dominate NC’s critical US Senate race

With just over a month until early in-person voting begins on Oct. 15, North Carolinians are squarely focused on pocketbook issues.

According to a new Elon University poll released Thursday, 86% of registered voters surveyed said inflation and the cost of living are “very important” issues, with 73% describing the general economy and healthcare as most important issues this fall.

Husser said that probably won’t help Republicans in competitive races in November.

“President Trump largely was re-elected because people thought he was going to handle the economy better than [Kamala] Harris,” said Jason Husser, director of the Elon University Poll. “But what we’re finding in North Carolina is that most people don’t think the economy is doing well at all.”

The survey of 800 voters conducted the last 10 days of August found that 49% of registered voters gave the nation’s economy grades of “D” and “F”, with 30% assigning a “C” grade. Only 22% said the nation’s economy earned “A” or “B” grades.

Half of the voters surveyed said they view the war in Iran as being very important when thinking about how they will vote in November. Husser said the average voter does not feel impacted by the distant conflict until they go to the gas station to fill up their vehicle.

“People are really thinking about how do they make ends meet right now,” Husser told NC Newsline. “They are expecting whoever is going to be our next U.S. senator to go to Washington with an agenda to deal with the economy.”

Candidates look to connect on affordability

The Elon poll found that former North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper holds an 11% lead over Republican Michael Whatley, 49% to 38%, among likely voters in the race for U.S. Senate. Only 8% of those surveyed are undecided at this point.

This week, Whatley traveled to Dallas to step into the national spotlight (opens in a new tab) of the GOP’s two-day midterm convention. Whatley said under Trump’s leadership, North Carolina households have paid $5,700 less in taxes under the Working Families Tax Cut Act, which is what Republicans are calling last year’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” spending and tax cut package