NC-Sen: Poll Shows Burr is Vulnerable

A new Research 2000 poll shows that Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) would be vulnerable against two potential Democratic challengers: state Attorney General Roy Cooper and former state Treasurer Richard Moore. Here are the numbers:

Burr--45%
Cooper--43%

Burr--46%
Moore--40%

As expected, Burr is going to have a tough reelection fight on his hands if either of these men run against him. This is yet another headache for NRSC Chairman John Cornyn--who already has four GOP retirements on his hands, but probably five with the addition of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), who will likely resign her seat this year to run for governor.

Cooper has long been thought to be the strongest candidate to challenge Burr. Earlier polling even has Cooper leading Burr in a hypothetical match-up. Cooper was handily reelected as Attorney General in November and is a popular figure in the state, as opposed to Burr, whose favorables are 47/46.

But this poll shows that the DSCC has other options if Cooper opts out in the form of Richard Moore, who fared slightly worse in the poll but still kept Burr under 50%, which is a very good sign when pitted against an incumbent this far out from the election.

Any way you look at it, Burr is looks like he's going to be very vulnerable in 2010. All the DSCC has to do now is recruit a top-tier challenger like Cooper (or Moore) to give them a really solid shot of flipping the seat.