New Poll: Anti-Gay GOP Governor Losing to Democrat Challenger Due to HB2

With North Carolina getting hammered economically and suffering under the national and international spotlight as a bigoted and backward state, North Carolinians are apparently waking up to the poisonous consequences of Republican self-prostitution to hate and ignorance embracing right wing Christians.  A new poll shows that GOP Governor and habitual liar Pat McCrory has fallen from a two point lead against Democrat challenger, Roy Cooper (the incumbent Attorney General) to a four point deficit.  The prime factor?  HB2 and the adverse consequences now facing the state.  Here are highlights from Towleroad on this notable shift in the polls:

A new poll out from SurveyUSA for Raleigh’s WRAL shows that the anti-LGBT law Governor Pat McCrory signed may be affecting his poll numbers:

HB2 may be…taking a toll on incumbent Republican Governor Pat McCrory, who signed HB2 into law 3 weeks ago, and who now finds himself trailing Democratic challenger Roy Cooper, the state’s attorney general, 43% to 47% among likely 11/08/16 voters. McCrory has a Minus 4 Net Job Approval Rating today: 43% of voters approve of the job he is doing as Governor, 47% disapprove. Cooper has a Plus 28 Net Job Approval Rating today: 53% of voters approve of the job Cooper is doing as Attorney General, 25% disapprove. Compared to a 03/08/16 SurveyUSA WRAL-TV poll, McCrory’s job approval is largely unchanged, but Cooper has gone from Plus 18 five weeks ago to Plus 28 today.

The last Survey USA poll conducted on this race showed McCrory with a 2 percentage point lead. 

As for some of the economic fallout facing North Carolina thanks to the GOP sell out to the Christofascists, The Advocate has a partial summary:

The canceled business expansions and events are listed below.

Ringo Starr announced today the cancellation of his show scheduled for June 18 in protest of HB 2. In a press release, Starr says that he "stands with those fighting against the bigotry of HB 2." He apologized to his fans, saying, "I'm sorry to dissapoint my fans in the area, but we need to take a stand against this hatred. Spread peace and love."

On Tuesday, Deutsche Bank announced it was canceling a planned expansion of its operations in Cary, which is near Raleigh, the state capital. The expansion would have added 250 jobs; 900 people are already employed at the Cary facility.

Last week, PayPal announced it canceled plans to open a new global payment center in Charlotte, which was expected to bring 400 new jobs to the city.

Bruce Springsteen canceled a concert that was to be held last Sunday in Greensboro because of his opposition to HB 2. "Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry — which is happening as I write — is one of them," he said in a statement. 

Thirteen planned conventions and events in Charlotte have been canceled in response to the state's anti-LGBT bill. And 29 more groups are on a “hesitant/concerned list,” reports The Charlotte Observer.

The New York Times notes that the state could lose billions of dollars in federal funding for schools, highways, and housing. 

Eight cities and four states have banned publicly funded employee travel to the state. 

Lionsgate canceled an eight-day production shoot in response to the bill. 

The Tony-award winning Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz and his collaborators halted all productions of Wicked in the state in protest.

The list does not include the cancellations for the High Point Furniture Mart.  Cyndi Lauper has decided to go forward with her concert in the state - and to give all the profits to Equality North Carolina.

Again, I suspect that many North Carolina residents are saying WTF - all this just so Christofascists can feel superior about themselves and mistreat others?  I hope the message that bigotry carries a high cost sinks in across America.  Indeed, the Republican Governor of Georgia has made it clear that he will veto any other anti-gay bills that reach his desk.

If you'd like to let Pat McCrory that you are cancelling plans to visit, invest in, or hold a meeting in North Carolina, send him a message here.