Trump tops Harris by 2 points in battleground North Carolina survey

Former President Trump leads Vice President Harris among likely voters in North Carolina by 2 percentage points, according to a new poll.

The latest East Carolina University survey, conducted last month, shows Trump getting 49 percent support in the state, compared to Harris’s 47 percent. Another 2 percent of likely voters remain undecided, while 2 percent say they plan to vote for a different candidate.

The results are little changed from the previous poll, conducted in late August, when Trump led Harris 48 percent to 47 percent. Both results fall within the margins of error.

Both candidates have focused on North Carolina because the state is viewed as critical to both campaigns to surpass the 270 electoral vote threshold needed to win the election. It is one of seven battleground states whose closely divided electorate puts it within reach for either candidate to pick up ahead of Election Day.

North Carolina has 16 electoral votes and was the only swing state in 2020 to support the former president’s election bid. The other six went for President Biden.

Tar Heel State voters last backed a Democrat for president in 2008, when former President Obama ran against then-Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Recent polling shows Trump and Harris neck and neck in the state. A survey published last week from Elon University and YouGov shows Harris with a 1-point lead over Trump. A CNN poll released last Friday had the two candidates tied at 48 percent support.

The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s polling average in North Carolina shows Trump leading Harris 48.5 percent to 48 percent.

In the latest ECU poll, Harris sees her lead grow among women, while the former president’s lead grows among men. The vice president also maintains her lead among Black voters, while Trump maintains his lead among white voters.

Harris now leads Trump among women 53 percent to 44 percent, up from her 5-point lead in August, the survey found. Trump, meanwhile, leads his Democratic opponent among men 56 percent to 40 percent, an increase from his 9-point lead in August.

Among Black voters, Harris leads Trump 90 percent to 7 percent, while Trump leads among white voters 66 percent to 32 percent, according to the poll.

The latest ECU survey, conducted Sept. 23-26, included 1,005 respondents and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.