Biden, Trump in Dead Heat in One Battleground State

North Carolina is essentially tied
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 20, 2020 12:39 PM CDT
Biden, Trump in Dead Heat in One Battleground State
Workers prepare absentee ballots for mailing at the Wake County Board of Elections in Raleigh, N.C., last month.   (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

North Carolina's 15 electors could go either way in the presidential race, a new poll shows, with people who think the economy is the main issue leaning toward President Trump, and people who consider it to be the coronavirus pandemic backing Joe Biden. A Washington Post-ABC News poll found Biden running at 49% in the state with likely voters and President Trump at 48%. The former vice president is at 48% among registered voters, while Trump is at 46%, the Washington Post reports. That's all within the margin of error, which is 4.5 points. The president carried the state in 2016 by 4 points. His approval ratings indicate the difficulty for Trump, though they're a bit higher in North Carolina than they are nationally. Registered voters give him a 47% positive approval rating, and a 51% negative rating.

North Carolina's Senate race is similarly tight, the poll indicates. Democrat Cal Cunningham leads Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, 49% to 47% among likely voters. More than 90% of respondents said they support their party's candidate, while independents split about evenly between the two. A sexting scandal has embroiled Cunningham's campaign, but the poll suggests other factors will affect the outcome more, per the Washington Post. About one-fourth of voters acknowledged that Cunningham's affair matters to them, but the largest share—81%—rated control of the Senate as important. And 56% called the incumbent's support for Trump an important issue. (Republicans are counting on their gains in voter registration to make the difference in North Carolina.)

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