THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 27, 1996 TAG: 9607270208
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 52 lines
Richard Petty's skills on a stock-car track have not made him a shoo-in winner in the race for North Carolina secretary of state, although he's in the lead, a new political poll indicated Friday.
Petty, a Republican, holds a 37 percent to 32 percent lead over Democratic candidate Elaine Marshall, said Brad Coker, an analyst with Mason-Dixon Media Research of Columbia, Md.
Marshall, a former state senator, is from Buies Creek in Harnett County, about 30 miles south of Raleigh.
``The King'' of stock-car drivers has slipped from a 44 to 31 percent lead over Marshall in May, Coker said, and 31 percent of those questioned are still ``undecided.''
Twenty-five percent of those questioned said they held ``unfavorable'' views of Petty, Coker said, while 38 percent said they had a favorable opinion of the race car driver.
Marshall's name recognition was more positive, Coker said.
Only 4 percent of those questioned said they had a negative view of Marshall, while 25 percent said their opinions were favorable.
In issues involving the recent special session of the General Assembly, the Mason-Dixon survey indicated that a $1.8 billion bond issue for public schools would probably be supported by most voters in November.
``Sixty-two percent of those questioned said they favor the schools,'' said Coker.
``But a $950 million bond issue for new highways is more likely to fail,'' he added. ``Only 35 percent said they would support the road money.''
The General Assembly got mixed reviews for its recent actions during the special session called by Gov. James B. Hunt Jr.
Neither party appears to have gained any political advantage at the session, Coker said, with 13 percent of those questioned in the poll saying the Republican leadership was to blame and 16 percent faulting either the governor or the Democratic leadership.
Sixty-percent of those questioned said the legislators did only a ``fair'' job.
One percent said the General Assembly did an ``excellent'' job and 15 percent said the legislators did a ``poor'' job.
Voters offered these suggestions to legislators on how best to spend the $700 million in reserve for rainy-day funds in the state treasury:
Twenty-five percent said the money should be used for pay raises for teachers and state workers.
Sixteen percent of the respondents said the surplus should go into tax cuts.
Six percent said keep the money in the state treasury.
Four percent said the money should be refunded to those owed money after the N.C. intangibles tax was declared illegal. by CNB