Gov. Roy Cooper's handling of the coronavirus earned him support among North Carolina voters and helped the Democrat secure re-election. In preliminary data, 62 percent of voters surveyed by AP VoteCast said they approved of the way the governor had handled the pandemic, and among those who approved of his handling of COVID-19, 81 percent voted for him.
With a recent surge in coronavirus cases, 57 percent of North Carolina voters surveyed said they believed the federal government's priority should be limiting the spread of COVID-19, even if it damages the economy. On Tuesday, its state health department reported the highest daily number of newly confirmed COVID-19 deaths.
Fifty-three percent of voters surveyed said they disapproved of the way Trump has handled the pandemic, while 46 percent of North Carolina voters said they believed Biden is better able to handle the coronavirus pandemic, compared with 40 percent who believed the incumbent president would handle it better.