According to a poll of 798 registered voters in North Carolina Senate District #1, 49 percent of voters said they would vote to re-elect Marc Basnight ,if the election for state senator were today. Thirty-nine percent said they would vote for Republican candidate Hood Richardson, and 12 percent said they were undecided.

Among voters who say they are definitely voting in November, Basnight’s lead shrinks to just one percentage point, 47%-46%.

In a press release August 4, Chris Hayes, a Civitas Legislative Analyst, said  “Senate President Marc Basnight is a North Carolina institution, but his district is changing underneath him, with many new voters moving in and those voters don’t have the same loyalty to him that long-time residents do.

According to Hayes, Senate District 1 is certainly ‘in play’ this year, the question is, can [Hood ]Richardson raise the money to be competitive?”

The statewide trend toward Republicans on the generic ballot continues as 52 percent of voters said they will vote for the Republican candidate for state Legislature this fall. Support for the Democratic candidate drops 16 points to 36 percent, and 12 percent said they are undecided.

“Basnight’s name recognition gives him the upper-hand going into November,” added Hayes. “But if the momentum toward Republican candidates, especially among unaffiliated voters, continues, there’s a possibility this seat could flip.”