Do North Carolinians have an appetite for impeachment? Here’s what a new poll finds.

A week after the 2026 midterm that saw Democrats winning control of both the U.S. House and Senate, a new Elon University poll finds support for the idea of impeachment.

The survey of 800 North Carolina adults was conducted before the Nov. 3rd election and released Tuesday. It was fielded by YouGov and has a margin of error of +/-4.03%

Nearly half of those surveyed – 47% – said they would react either “very” or “somewhat positively” if the U.S. House of Representative passed articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. On the other end of the spectrum, 26% said they would respond “very negatively” or “somewhat negatively” to a possible Trump impeachment.

“I think in some ways, the resounding rebuke of the midterm elections may have even pushed those numbers up higher,” said Husser.

Husser said while the poll did not ask people follow-up questions about why they might want to see President Trump impeached, an open-ended question in the survey found a substantial number of respondents concerned about corruption, protecting democracy, and making sure elections are fair.

“I do think that this impeachment question is very much tied into the sense of negative partisanship that we have going on in the United States today,” Husser told NC Newsline.

Whether Democrats decide to pursue a third Trump impeachment with their newfound power in 2027 remains to be seen.  But this week saw U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican and member of the House Judiciary Committee, filing articles of impeachment targeting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Massie maintains Hegseth abused his powers as defense secretary, implemented unlawful strikes against Iran, and ignored laws to minimize civilian casualties.

On Tuesday, Hegseth called the impeachment articles “a farce” and a “political spectacle.”

Defense Secretary Hegseth calls impeachment push a ‘farce’ as US House heads toward vote

Hegseth’s fiery rhetoric has done little to win over the public. Forty-six percent of North Carolinians surveyed in the Elon poll disapproved of Hegseth’s job performance, compared with 27% who approved and 28% who were unsure.

Among Democrats, 72% disapproved, compared with 58% of Independents who disapproved and just 13% of Republicans.

“When the baseline for Hegseth in a swing state like North Carolina is 27%, that means he does not have robust support,” said Husser. “Even among Republicans in North Carolina, only 61% approve of Hegseth.”

Husser said public opinion on Hegseth could fall even lower depending on what is revealed in an impeachment investigation.

“What matters is the opinion of U.S. senators, and how they respond will really be the most important thing going forward for Hegseth,” said Husser.

Outgoing Republican Senator Thom Tillis has made his disdain for Hegseth clear in recent weeks,calling his vote for Trump’s choice for Secretary of Defense in 2025 the “biggest regret of my career.”

Senator Ted Budd, R-NC, has not openly criticized Hegseth. But in October, Budd expressed reservations aboutHegseth’s plan to cut 20% of the nation’s senior admirals and generals.

“I certainly want to see his rationale in detail, and I don’t have that yet,” Budd told The Hill.

Husser said it’s a difficult lift to remove any cabinet official. The U.S. House would need only a simple majority to impeach Hegseth, but in the Senate, it would require a two-thirds majority or 67 votes to convict him.

“Typically, what we would see is that the president or the cabinet official relent at some point and say, ‘Okay, we’ll pick another person.'” said Husser. “We may not see that. We saw Hegseth digging in very deeply, saying that he’s not going anywhere.”

Husser said that Trump’s support for Hegseth could shift as he weighs public opinion and lessons from a bruising midterms for Republicans.

“He still cares a lot about his legacy, and he cares about getting things done over the next two years,” said Husser. “So, if a budget can’t get passed for the Department of Defense because of Hegseth being at the top, we might see President Trump responding differently than he has already.”