Jill Biden will rally Obama campaign volunteers in Huntersville on Friday.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Jill Biden to visit Huntersville on Friday
Latest PPP poll: Obama-Romney tied in NC
The presidential race in North Carolina remains neck-and-neck, according to a new poll, with virtually no voters still undecided.
The survey, released Wednesday by Raleigh-based Public Policy Polling, found President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney tied with 49 percent each.
The poll also found that Obama is winning among early voters in the state, 58 percent to 41 percent. Romney is ahead among those who have not yet voted, 58 percent to 40 percent, according to the survey from the Democratic-leaning firm.
This is the second week in a row that PPP found the presidential race deadlocked in North Carolina.
But PPP's Wednesday survey comes on the heels of a poll done for WRAL-TV in Raleigh that found Romney ahead 50 percent to 45 percent in the Tar Heel State.
Both campaigns addressed their North Carolina prospects during Wednesday conference calls with reporters. Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said that "our margin continues to increase every day in (early voting sites) all across the state.
"He hasn't put a single battleground state away," Messina said. "remember when Romney was going to leave North Carolina (by pulling out some staff)? They've now raced to increase their TV ads there." That, added Messina, is "the clearest sign of all" that North Carolina is till up for grabs.
"This is one that I get a kick out of that I'm still talking about," political director Rich Beeson said while commenting on the different battleground states.
He said that while early voting turnout still favors registered Democrats in North Carolina, Republicans have cut that gap by 100,000 votes from 2008 numbers.
"North Carolina continues to move further and further from (Obama), as evidenced that they have not had the president down there since he left the convention," Beeson said, referring to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.
-- Tim Funk and Andrew Dunn
Romney campaign says N.C. drifting away from Obama
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign team said on a conference call with reporters Wednesday that North Carolina is drifting away from President Barack Obama.
"This is one that I get a kick out of that I"m still talking about," political director Rich Beeson said while going through a list of the campaign's thoughts on battleground states.
He said that while early voting turnout still favors registered Democrats in North Carolina, Republicans have cut that gap by 100,000 votes from 2008 numbers.
"North Carolina continues to move further and further from him, as evidenced that they have not had the president down there since he left the convention," Beeson said, referring to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.
Obama's campaign would not say Monday whether Obama would make another appearance in North Carolina, but said they felt the state was still very much in play.
Public Policy Polling had the candidates tied at 49 percent on Wednesday. A WRAL poll Tuesday had Romney ahead 50-45.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
WRAL poll: Romney leads Obama in N.C.
A survey released Tuesday by WRAL-TV found that, a week before Election Day, former Massachussets Gov. Mitt Romney leads President Barack Obama, 50 percent to 45 percent in North Carolina.
The Raleigh-Durham TV station's poll, conducted by SurveyUSA, comes on the heels of three other state polls -- released between last Thursday and Monday -- that said the presidential race in the Tar Heel State is neck-and-neck.
That was also the verdict in WRAL's last poll, from four weeks ago. But the one released Tuesday found that Romney had moved into a lead by eliminating Obama's advantage with female voters. They are now tied at 47 percent among women, the poll found.
Romney was ahead among independents and weathier voters, according to WRAL.
Favoring Obama: Young voters.
With early voting in the state underway, the WRAL survey found that Obama leads among people who have already voted (56 percent to 43 percent).
But those who said they plan to vote in Election Day favor Romney, 60 percent to 33 percent.
-- Tim Funk
Monday, October 29, 2012
Money continues to roll in 8th an 9th Districts
Following the tweets @jimmorrill:
R Richard Hudson in #NC08 outraises D Larry Kissell 5-1 in first part of Oct. He got $90K from PACs, 3 x all of what Kissell raised. #NCPOL
Republican Robt. Pittenger in #NC09loaned his campaign $25K in Oct., otherwise outraised by Dem. Jennifer Roberts $76K to $66K. #NCPOL
Obama campaign on N.C.: 'We can win it'
The Obama campaign believes North Carolina is still in play and is increasing its television ad spending in the state, but would not say Monday whether President Barack Obama would make an appearance here before the election.
"We continue to believe on the ground we can win it," campaign manager Jim Messina said of North Carolina on a conference call with reporters Monday morning.
Messina and senior strategist David Axelrod said Obama was leading in every battleground state and said they were impressed with early voting results, including in North Carolina.
"I am ridiculously proud of what the North Carolina staff has put on the ground with our volunteers," Messina said.
When asked about whether Obama would make a North Carolina stop in the next eight days, Messina said the campaign has been re-assessing the scheduling after Hurricane Sandy changed plans.
"We're looking very closely at where we're sending him," Messina said, citing recent N.C. visits from Vice President Joe Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama in the state.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Obama's barnyard epithet on Romney causing a stir
President Barack Obama's use of a barnyard epithet to describe Republican candidate Mitt Romney in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine is causing quite the stir around the Internet this morning.
Here's how Politico summed it up:
FIRST LOOK – Rolling Stone cover, “Obama and the Road Ahead: The Rolling Stone Interview,” by Douglas Brinkley: “We arrived at the Oval Office for our 45-minute interview … on the morning of October 11th. … As we left the Oval Office, executive editor Eric Bates told Obama that he had asked his six-year-old if there was anything she wanted him to say to the president. … [S]he said, ‘Tell him: You can do it.’ Obama grinned. … ‘You know, kids have good instincts,’ Obama offered. ‘They look at the other guy and say, “Well, that’s a bullshitter, I can tell.”’”Tweets are pouring in, the majority of them negative (warning, the profanity continues).
Business Insider: "This is the first time we can ever recall a President using that sort of language in an interview. We look forward to hearing the White House's response."
Politico: "That's some frank language from Obama, who has a genuine disdain for GOP challenger Mitt Romney, as POLITICO's Glenn Thrush has reported."
Twitchy: "Just when you thought President Obama couldn't stoop any lower, here he goes again."