A recent poll from Elon University found a large number of North Carolinians could favor impeachments in the White House. The survey also gathered which politicians North Carolinians want to see run for president in 2028.
The pre-election survey of 800 North Carolina adults was conducted Sept. 29-Oct. 8, 2026.
Impeachment
Around 47% of respondents said they would react either “very or somewhat” positively to an impeachment effort against President Donald Trump. Thirty-three percent said they’d react somewhat or very negatively. The majority of those positive reactions were among Democrats.
The President was impeached twice during his first term in office in 2019 and 2021. He was acquitted both times by the Senate.
An impeachment effort targeting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was filed earlier this month accusing him of abusing his power and of unlawful strikes in the war against Iran. Legislators recently voted to send Hegseth’s impeachment articles back to the House Judiciary Committee for review— essentially killing the effort.
The Elon poll shows that 46% of surveyed adults disapprove of the job Hegseth has done in his role.
Presidential candidates
Surveyed adults were also asked to name one person they would be pleased to support in the next election. Vice President JD Vance was the most popular, mentioned by nearly 12% of respondents – followed by Marco Rubio, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
The 22nd amendment of the United States Constitution prevents President Trump from running for a third term. Still, nearly 8% of the poll’s participants said they would support him.
Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg were the fifth and sixth most mentioned names respectively. Poll officials say the results show these politicians have a “notable base” to start campaigning in North Carolina.