Political notebook: Gov. Cooper more popular than President Trump?
Published 12:05 am Sunday, February 12, 2017
Sure, you’ve seen polls that show President Donald Trump’s approval rating, but how do the commander in chief’s numbers compare to Gov. Roy Cooper’s?
High Point University’s first poll of 2017 found that North Carolinians view Cooper more favorably than Trump. In N.C., Trump received a 36 percent approval rating. Cooper received a 46 percent approval rating.
For the poll, High Point University interviewed 405 adults, a plurality of which identified as Democrats.
The poll found that 36 percent of adults in North Carolina approve of the job Trump is doing. That’s compared to 52 percent of adults who disapprove and 13 percent who said they don’t know or refused to answer.
The poll found that 46 percent of adults approve of the job Cooper is doing as governor. It found 21 percent disapprove of him and 33 percent said they don’t know or refused to answer.
Congress received a worse approval rating — 23 percent — than either Trump or Cooper.
Tillis, Burr continue favoring Trump’s nominees
Two of the closest votes for Trump’s Cabinet nominees occurred last week, but they were not tough choices for North Carolina’s senators.
Republican U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis have voted in favor of all Trump’s nominees so far. This week, both men added to the tally of yes votes when they supported Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., for attorney general and Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., as secretary of health and human services. Other than the vote for Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, the Sessions and Price votes have been the closest to date. Both were confirmed by 52-47 counts. DeVos was approved 51-50, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking a tie vote.
Commenting on Sessions’ confirmation, Burr said the Alabama senator has been a friend and colleague for many years.
“I am pleased that the Senate has confirmed him as attorney general, and I look forward to continuing the confirmation process so that the president’s team can get to work on behalf of the American people,” Burr said in an emailed statement.
Tillis expressed similar sentiments. Tillis said he’s seen Sessions’ “commitment to justice and the rule of law first-hand.”
Sessions’ confirmation process drew sharp partisan lines between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats raised concerns about Sessions’ commitment to ensuring that voting rights are protected.
Price was confirmed in a late-night vote that also was along party lines.
Burr said now is a critical time for health care in the country. Americans want Congress “to get it right,” Burr said.
“As a physician, Tom has a deep understanding of families’ health care needs and will be an especially valuable member of the president’s team as Congress works to repeal and replace Obamacare,” Burr said.
Local legislators start filing bills in N.C. General Assembly
The political noise from Raleigh hasn’t been quite as loud in the first weeks of the 2017 session as in 2016, but local lawmakers have started to file bills that could make waves later.
Rep. Harry Warren, R-77, seems to be the busiest bill writer of all local legislators. He has filed measures related to unemployment insurance, school calendar flexibility, a partisan school board race, automobile insurance and municipal elections. In total, Warren is the primary sponsor of six bills.
State Rep. Carl Ford, R-76, has not filed any bills of his own, but he has co-sponsored 21 bills.
Like Ford, state Sen. Andrew Brock, R-34, hasn’t yet introduced bills of his own. He is a co-sponsor of six bills.
State Sen. Tom McInnis, R-25, has filed a total of four bills. His legislation would let restaurants grill food outdoors; allow video cameras and civil penalties to enforce a law preventing people from passing stopped school buses; provide school calendar flexibility; and create a task force to study education finance reform.