PPP did their monthly Senate poll in their home state of North Carolina. What's different about this one is they added a new name to the GOP field, Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry (R):
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/...
PPP added Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry into the mix on the Republican side for its monthly North Carolina Senate poll, and she leads the GOP field. Berry gets 18% to 16% for previous leader Virginia Foxx, 10% each for Renee Ellmers and Patrick McHenry, 7% for Phil Berger, 5% for Greg Brannon, 3% each for George Holding and Thom Tillis, and 1% for Terry Embler.
Berry is the only one of the potential Republican candidates with name recognition over 50%. 32% of primary voters have a positive opinion of her to 19% with a negative one. She's particularly strong with moderate Republicans, leading Foxx 25-10 with them, and she also does well with young voters, holding a 26/16 edge over Foxx with them. - PPP, 2/12/13
Berry was endorsed by the local magazine,
Indy Week, which is suppose to be a progressive magazine. North Carolina AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer, MaryBe McMillan, had this to say about Berry:
http://aflcionc.org/...
I’m stunned by the Indy‘s endorsement of Cherie Berry for Labor Commissioner [Oct. 17]. She didn’t bother to respond to your questionnaire, but she did answer questions for the pro-business NC Free Enterprise Foundation. Berry supports repealing the minimum wage, reducing benefits for the unemployed and putting an anti-union right to work clause in our constitution. Berry told NC Free, “My vision is that the government gets out of the way, with its big government, big union, anti-business policies, and lets the private sector do what it does best!”
And that is exactly what she has done. Berry has gotten out of the way and let companies do what they want. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Labor audited Berry’s department and found 12 problems including downplaying the seriousness of workplace violations, a penalty system that allows for significant reductions in fines, and a discrimination and retaliation division that didn’t follow federal procedures.
A Charlotte Observer investigation found that lax oversight led to injuries in the poultry industry, yet Berry responded that her department would “keep doing what we’re doing because it’s working.” She also shrugged off any responsibility after the News & Observer‘s investigation into worker misclassification. And earlier this year, Berry told farmworker advocates that she would not support policy changes for child farm labor unless “the regulated community” agreed to it.
Berry has made it clear that her allegiance lies with the businesses she regulates. That’s where her campaign contributions come from, and not surprisingly, the Charlotte Observer found that Berry’s contributors received breaks on regulatory fines from her department.
Voters turn to the Indy to find out who the most progressive candidates are. For you to endorse a candidate who consistently shirks her duties to protect workers is a real shame. - NC State AFL-CIO, 10/26/12
Now here are Senator Kay Hagan's (D. NC) match up numbers with Berry and the other Republican candidates mentioned in the poll:
Kay Hagan vs. Cherie Berry: 46/38
Kay Hagan vs. Thom Tillis: 46/38
Kay Hagan vs. Patrick McHenry: 45/40
Kay Hagan vs. Renee Ellmers: 47/38
Kay Hagan vs. Virginia Foxx: 48/38
Kay Hagan vs. George Holding: 46/36
Kay Hagan vs. Phil Berger: 49/38
Kay Hagan vs. Greg Brannon: 48/35
Kay Hagan vs. Terry Embler: 48/33
PPP notes that Hagan's approval and disapproval ratings are still even, 39% approving while 38% disapproving. They also note that many of the GOP nominees have very little name recognition so expect this race to tighten. Berry is just another one of Art Pope's foot soldiers hell bent on destroying organized labor and the middle class. You can learn more about the influence Art Pope has on the North Carolina state government here:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
And if you would like to donate to Hagan's campaign, please do so here:
https://secure.actblue.com/...