New Poll Shows Close Race in North Carolina

In a recent NBC News/Marist/Wall Street Journal poll, President Obama was shown to be ahead of Republican Nominee Mitt Romney in key battleground states of New Hampshire, Nevada, and North Carolina. Specifically in North Carolina, President Obama leads Governor Romney by two points, 48 to 46 percent, within the poll's margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent. However, the same poll indicates that Romney holds an 9 point advantage over independent voters. This may not be as comforting as those in the Romney campaign believe, as in 2008, John McCain held a 21 point advantage in the state over then candidate Obama.
September had been a difficult month for Romney as he struggles to increase his likability with voters. Many still see him as distant with the average person. And perceptions of increased economic performance and a brighter view of where the country is headed under Obama continue to plague the Romney campaign. With a little over a month before the election, Romney needs a strong performance in the first debate to show the country he is qualified to be President.

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/27/14128100-polls-obama-leads-in-nh-tighter-in-nev-nc?lite

New Battleground State Ad Appears in North Carolina

A new ad from President Obama makes its appearance in North Carolina today, depicting Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney in the video leaked last week where he refers to the '47 percent' that he will not be concentrating his campaign on because of how they are a lost cause.

This ad will make its appearance in eight battleground states, and will attempt to paint Romney as someone that does not care about nearly half of the country, and reveals that Romney paid only 14% in federal income taxes.
The Romney campaign has responded by saying, through North Carolina spokesman Robert Reid:
"President Obama’s policies have devastated the middle class. And his tax increases on middle-class families and small businesses will only make things worse. Mitt Romney will help middle-class families by lowering tax rates across the board, spurring growth and investment, creating 12 million jobs, and finally getting this country on the right track again."

http://projects.newsobserver.com/node/25837

Read more here: http://projects.newsobserver.com/node/25837#storylink=cpy

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Campaigns for Romney in North Carolina

Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney has been busy these last few weeks fundraising and making campaign stops throughout the country. But the busy life of a Presidential candidate leaves one short on time, making it impossible to appear in all states that are required to win the Presidency.

Fortunately for Romney, he is not the only one campaigning on his behalf. In the battleground state of North Carolina, South Carolina governor Nikki Haley held a Women For Romney event Monday in Apex, NC. Haley rebuked claims by Democrats that the Republican Party was trying to start a war on women, referring to the controversy earlier in the year regarding the contraception guidelines in the new healthcare law that was upheld by the Supreme Court.

Haley commented that women were concerned with much more than contraception issues, with more important factors outweighing it, namely the economy. Haley is scheduled to hold more Women For Romney events in two other battleground states, Virginia and Florida.

News Observer Article - SC's Haley Speaks at Women for Romney Event in NC

First Lady Michelle Obama Makes Campaign Stop in North Carolina

First Lady Michelle Obama made an appearance Wednesday in Durham, North Carolina in a push to rally young, college age voters to vote for her husband, President Barack Obama, in November. This is the first campaign stop for someone in the President's camp following a recently posted video of Obama's challenger, Mitt Romney, making statements pertaining to how just under half of Americans do not pay income taxes and their votes do not matter to him. Mrs. Obama's speech, however, made no mention of this. She encouraged the audience to support the President because of the accomplishments he has done to help them, like increased college aid and the provision in the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act that allows parents to keep their children on their health insurance policy until age 26.

The rally in Durham was designed to increase Democratic turnout in the election. Durham in particular has often voted Democratic, despite the state's somewhat conservative reputation and trend of sending Republican legislators to Washington. While Mr. Obama does not need North Carolina to ensure victory in November, it is one of the few battleground states that could help bolster his performance against Mr. Romney.

News Observer Article on First Lady's Appearance

North Carolina not as close as once predicted

A Politico blog post suggests that North Carolina is leaning towards Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney, which means that he could potentially cross that one off as one where his campaign no longer needs to focus resources there and can concentrate on the other battleground states.
The post cites an article by the Raleigh News Observer, writing that the Great Recession is responsible for destroying North Carolina's rise to prosperity in the South in the later 20th century. Now faced with a 9.6 percent unemployment rate, and President Obama's policies not helping their situation, the people are looking for a return to their former glory, as indicated by six of ten recent polls showing Romney leading Obama.

Politico Blog: Why North Carolina Leans Romney