Did Phil Berger Pull a Muscle Over Casino Gambling?

 

Public Policy Polling was out this morning with a new opinion poll on the popularity of Phil Berger in his own district of Rockingham (and a tiny part of Guilford), specifically his standing among fellow Republicans following his balls-to-the-walls maneuvering to get commercial gambling establishments into the North Carolina budget bill. The poll found 60% of likely Republican primary voters in Berger’s district oppose the legalization of casino gambling and some 41% disapprove of Berger’s job performance compared to 26% who approve. How is he breathing underwater?

“When asked if they would vote to re-elect Senator Berger or if someone new should be given a chance, just 30% said they would vote to re-elect him while 45% said it was time for someone else,” writes Jim Williams, of Public Policy Polling, in a memo.

Is there any Republican willing to challenge him? And how likely is it that a new Republican leader would prove to be as corruptly authoritarian as Berger?