An opinion poll released Tuesday found that Wake County residents support plans for a park on the Dorothea Dix property by a 2-to-1 margin.

Public Policy Polling surveyed about 600 voters last week in the wake of Republican-sponsored legislation that would revoke Raleigh's lease on the 325-acre state property. The bill passed the Senate last week and now heads to the House.

About 52 percent of those surveyed said they support the park, while 27 percent were against the idea.

Park supporters have argued that revoking the three-month-old lease signed by outgoing Gov. Bev Perdue and Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane will damage the state's credibility in future contracts.

About 50 percent of poll respondents agreed that the bill would "harm the state’s business reputation"; 38 percent say they don't think so.

The poll also found that the majority of Republicans surveyed didn't support the legislation.

Two park booster groups, Dix 306 and Friends of Dorothea Dix Park, held a meeting Tuesday at the Dix property to discuss the poll. About 50 people turned out in support.

"It was impressive the awareness of people that we might make this property a park," said Bill Padgett of Dix 306. "By 2-to-1 we ask the governor to veto that bill."

Raleigh City Councilman Russ Stephenson also attended the meeting, and he told the crowd he's hopeful that the House will debate the bill more thoroughly than the Senate. "I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll have more time in the House," he said.

A new poll out today shows changing political fortunes for two Wake County school board members running for statewide office.

Democratic pollster Public Policy Policy says that State Auditor Beth Wood, the Democratic incumbent, is now leading Wake County school board member Debra Goldman, the Republican challenger, 45-38. In a previous poll before the recent publicity about Goldman's personal life, Wood was leading 40-36.

"Perhaps most telling in the Triangle, where this has received the largest amount of attention, Wood leads Goldman by an astounding 65/25 margin," according to the PPP press release. "If the story continues to makes its way out to the rest of the state Goldman is heading for a double digit defeat."

In another Council of State race of note, State Schools Superintendent June Atkinson's lead over Wake County school board member John Tedesco has shrunk to 42-40. A month ago, Atkinson, a Democrat, had a 44-34 lead over Tedesco, a Republican.

Today's primary election results could have major implications for the future of the Wake County school system.

The latest survey from Public Policy Polling, the firm run by Democratic activist Dean Debnam, indicates that school board members Debra Goldman and John Tedesco will likely enter into runoffs next month. They're running, respectively, for the Republican nominations for state auditor and state schools superintendent.

It's more clear-cut for school board member Chris Malone, who is competing in a two-person race for the GOP nomination for the state House 35 seat. Malone will either win today and face former school board member Lori Millberg, the Democratic nominee, in November or his campaign is over.

On the Wake County Board of Commissioners, polling indicates that Tony Gurley faces a tough battle to make the GOP runoff for lieutenant governor. Paul Coble is running for the GOP nomination for the 13th Congressional District. Erv Portman has no Democratic primary opposition so he's gearing up for the November battle for the state Senate 17 seat.

Wake County school board member Christine Kushner raised more than $50,000 in her bid to win the District 6 seat.

In her final 2011 report filed Wednesday, Kushner reported raising $51,343.47 and spending $37,123.21. This leaves the Democrat with $14,220.26 that she can use to donate to other groups or to prepare for a future campaign run.

Her main opponent, Republican Donna Williams, raised $48.335.96.

Wake County school board chairman Kevin Hill raised nearly $70,000 in his successful reelection bid this fall.

A new report filed today shows that Hill, a Democrat, raised $68,598 and spent $54,322 in the District 3 race. Heather Losurdo, a Republican, hasn't filed her final report yet. But she had reported raising $82,357 through Oct. 24.

Before this year, only one candidate had raised more than $50,000 in a Wake school board race. But at least four candidates hit that mark last fall during the high-stakes election.

The Tea Party is standing by Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo even as her critics try to use her ties with the populist movement against her.

Triangle Conservatives Unite!, which Tea Party Patriots calls the Raleigh Tea Party, is holding an event on Oct. 30 at the state GOP headquarters to help Losurdo. The group is also cross-posting Losurdo's call for volunteers to attend meetings this week to help organize for the run-off election.

School board candidate Donna Williams, who lost last week, is helping coordinate Losurdo's volunteer efforts.

Various Democratic-leaning 501 and 527 groups sent mailers and set up a website attacking Losurdo for her connections to the Tea Party. You've also got that Public Policy Polling memo indicating that Republicans can be vulnerable to Tea Party attacks.

UPDATE

See this blog post where Losurdo says Triangle Conservaties Unite! is not holding an event for her.

Public Policy Polling is pitching how the defeat of Wake County school board chairman Ron Margiotta by linking him to the Tea Party is "a model Democratic candidates across the country should consider following in 2012."

In a memo released today, PPP writes that defeating Margiotta "required an incredibly strong message to win his seat - and that message proved to be the Tea Party." The memo says that "the Wake County Democratic Party and the candidates themselves relentlessly hammered home to voters the message about Margiotta’s Tea Party ties."

One of the authors of the memo is PPP CEO Dean Debnam. Amid all the talk about the success of the anti-Tea Party message, nothing is listed about how Debnam helped push that message through his work leading the N.C. Futures Action Fund.

Progress NC Action is calling on Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo to concede the District 3 race to Kevin Hill.

In a press release tonight, the liberal advocacy group says Losurdo should be "avoiding a costly and divisive runoff election." This is coming from the same group that created a website dubbing Losurdo as the "Queen of Extreme" and trailed after her with a person wearing a skunk costume.

Here's the group's press release:

Public Policy Polling says one of its polls shows that school board member Kevin Hill would defeat Heather Losurdo in a runoff.

In a press release tonight, PPP says they polled 519 people last week about a runoff and Hill had 52 percent to Losurdo's 36 percent. The poll has an error margin of plus or min 4.3 percentage points.

The group says supporters of Jennifer Mansfield and Eric Squires indicated they'd vote for Hill in a runoff.

If Democrats sweep the five Wake County school board seats to retake the majority today, it would arguably be due to the efforts of the 501 and 527 groups to link the Republicans to the Tea Party.

A steady stream of mailers, websites and skunk-wearing mascots from these Democrat-leaning groups has been pushing the message of a "Tea Party takeover of Wake County Schools." Democrats insist it's a powerful message while Republicans say the fears about the Tea Party are overblown.

"I'm confident that the average resident of Wake County has a negative view of the Tea Party in the United States," said Mack Paul, chairman of the Wake County Democratic Party.