Political Science and Public Policy

Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin electrified thousands of people from across North Carolina on Thursday during a campaign stop at Elon University. Her mission: Explain to the crowd inside the Latham Park baseball stadium why she believes Sen. John McCain is the best man to be the next president.

Elon University undergraduate and law students took the stage Wednesday night in a campus event that matched supporters of Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama against each other for a presidential debate on issues chosen by their peers at a recent College Coffee.

Support for school vouchers in North Carolina remains mixed, with no majority of respondents in the latest Elon University Poll showing a strong inclination either for or against such a program.

Forty-eight percent of North Carolinians support the federal government’s efforts to assist banks and other financial institutions on the verge of collapse, according to the latest Elon University Poll, and more than half of respondents believe such aid will have a positive impact on the economy.

More than half of North Carolina residents have a favorable view of Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, whose marks are much higher than those of Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama, according to the latest Elon University Poll.

A majority of North Carolinians support offshore oil drilling initiatives, and nearly four out of five respondents in the latest Elon University Poll believe that supplies should be available exclusively to people living in the United States – not sold to nations overseas.