Dem Leads Sen. Burr in Poll

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper has a slight lead over Sen. Richard Burr (R) in a poll of their possible 2010 Senate race.

Cooper receives the backing of 39 percent of voters and Burr gets 34 percent in the survey by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic polling firm. Cooper’s approval rating of 44 percent is also has a higher than Burr’s, which is at 32 percent.

The Raleigh News & Observer mentioned Cooper and state Treasurer Richard Moore have been mentioned as possible Democratic challengers to Burr. Democrats proved they can state-wide races North Carolina in 2008, when President-elect Obama carried the state and state Sen. Kay Hagan (D) unseated Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R).

Cooper is already in a better position than Hagan was at the start of her campaign. She trailed Dole by 16 percentage points in the summer of 2007 in a Public Policy Polling survey. Hagan ended up beating Dole 53 percent to 44 percent.