Democratic candidate Jim Neal and State Senator Kay Hagan are in a dead heat in the primary race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate according to a new independent poll.

Nationally recognized nonpartisan pollsters SurveyUSA found 20% of likely voters prefer Jim Neal, compared with 21% for State Senator Kay Hagan, well within the poll’s margin of error of +/- 3.7%.

The winner of the May 6th primary will face off against Republican incumbent Senator Elizabeth Dole.

“This proves that grassroots politics works and people power trumps the power of money. Despite being outspent two to one, our message is getting through. The average contribution to our campaign is $80, and I am honored that thousands of North Carolinians are putting their hard-earned money behind us. I will continue reaching out to people across the state, listening to their concerns and learning from their ideas so we can have a government that works for all the people,” Neal said.

SurveyUSA also found podiatrist Howard Staley was preferred by 4%; Attorney Marcus Williams, 5%; and truck driver Duskin Lassiter, 6%; with 45% of likely voters undecided. SurveyUSA conducted the poll for WTVD-TV in Durham.

SurveyUSA has accurately predicted results in the 2008 primaries on par or better than the Gallup poll. SurveyUSA has polled 26 contests across the nation this election cycle.

SurveyUSA is an independent, non-partisan, full-service opinion research firm that conducts scientific research for media, government, and private-sector clients in all 50 states. More than 19 of the nation’s 25 largest media companies have contracted with SurveyUSA to conduct opinion research.

The grandson of a carpenter, public school teacher and two mill workers, Jim Neal was born in Greensboro in 1956, where he attended public school. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978. Following graduation he joined Goldman Sachs as a financial analyst. He returned to school at the University of Chicago, where he earned an MBA and worked a series of part-time jobs to pay his way through school.

As an investment banker at Salomon Brothers, Neal earned a reputation for leadership and innovative strategies while advising Fortune 500 companies on how to play successful roles in a changing global economy. He also worked as a senior investment banker with E.F Hutton and Bear Stearns, serving clients that ranged from Bank of America and American Express to Lincoln National Corporation and Transamerica.

For the past two decades, Neal has focused his career on information technology and healthcare companies, including serving as chief executive officer of RxMarketplace.com, a start-up firm that helped pharmacists offer patients prescription drugs at more affordable prices. Since 2000, Neal has led several private companies prior to founding The Agema Group, a financial advisory firm based in Chapel Hill.

Neal has continued his active involvement in nonprofit groups and political initiatives. A member of the Board of Governors of the New School from 2002 to 2006, he also served as a national finance committee member for Wes Clark for President and the Kerry-Edwards campaigns, as well as acting as a national fundraiser for U.S. Senate candidate Erskine Bowles in 2004.

Neal has served his community as an overnight volunteer at a homeless shelter, a lay minister to mentally ill residents of an assisted-care facility, and a sponsor of a post-war Vietnamese refugee family in alliance with the International Rescue Committee.

Neal lives in Chapel Hill with the younger of his two sons, Winston.

Jim Neal is available for interviews. Please contact Andrew Kain for questions and to schedule interviews.
Andrew Kain 919-544-1136 x225
Andrew_Kain@jimnealforsenate.com