Question:

PPP's newest North Carolina poll finds that with Virginia Foxx out of the mix Republicans in the state are less sure than ever about who they want their Senate candidate to be next year. 43% say they don't have a preference at this point, and the highest level of support any of the individual candidates gets for the nomination is 13%.

Leading the way at that 13% mark is Phil Berger. He's followed by Thom Tillis at 12%, Jim Cain at 11%, Heather Grant at 8%, Greg Brannon at 6%, Mark Harris at 5%, and Lynn Wheeler at 2%. Most Republicans in the state want someone other than Tillis, the most significant announced candidate, to be their standard bearer. But there continues to be little consensus about who that alternative should be.

At this point it doesn't matter who the Republicans put forward though- Kay Hagan has a wide lead over all of them. She's up 12 on Heather Grant at 48/36, 13 on Jim Cain and Lynn Wheeler at 50/37 and 48/35 respectively, 14 on Mark Harris at 50/36, 15 on Thom Tillis at 51/36, 16 on Greg Brannon at 52/36, and 17 on Phil Berger at 53/36. Hagan is up by at least 16 points with independents in every match up.

About this Poll

PPP surveyed 600 North Carolina voters, including an oversample of 311 usual Republican
primary voters, between September 6-9, 2013. The margin of error for the overall survey is +/-
4.0%, and +/- 5.6% for the GOP portion. This poll was not authorized or paid for by any
campaign or political organization. PPP’s surveys are conducted through automated telephone
interviews.