A new poll shows Kamala Harris ahead of Donald Trump in a tight race in North Carolina, as both candidates take turns in the state this week.
This appears to be the first poll to give the vice president a narrow lead in a state that the Republican ex-president won in both 2016 and 2020.
A poll by the Cook Political Report found the candidates are statistically tied with Harris (48 percent) and Trump (47 percent) among likely voters in the Tar Heel State with less than three months to go until the election.
Other recent polls in North Carolina have shown Trump leading in the state, but multiple polls now show Harris also gaining ground in swing states since she took the lead on the Democratic presidential ticket on July 21 after President Biden left office.
Survey conducted by BSG and GS Strategy Group from July 26 to August 2
Every swing state poll before Biden left the race showed Trump ahead. The Real Clear Politics average gave Trump a more than five-point lead over Biden in North Carolina.
The new North Carolina polls come after Trump visited the swing state on Wednesday with an event in Asheville that was billed as a speech focused on the economy.
Former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Asheville, NC on August 14, 2024
Trump supporters attended Trump’s event in Asheville on August 14, where he was scheduled to speak about the economy
Harris will make her first visit to the state as a Democratic presidential candidate on Friday, delivering her first policy speech on the economy in Raleigh.
She had originally planned to hold a rally there with her running mate Tim Walz a week ago, but the event had to be canceled due to weather.
The poll found that North Carolina voters were more likely to trust Harris when it came to health care, abortion, protecting democracy and protecting Social Security and Medicare.
North Carolina voters were more likely to trust Trump on issues such as the economy and inflation, crime and foreign policy.
Kamala Harris in North Carolina on July 11 before President Biden left the race. She will return to the state on Friday to give a speech on economic policy
Democrats haven’t won North Carolina in a presidential election since President Obama won the state in 2008, but he narrowly lost the race to Mitt Romney in 2012.
North Carolina, however, is known for a mixed ticket. It currently has Democratic Governor Roy Cooper who won in 2016 and 2020, while Trump won at the top of the ticket.
In 2020, President Biden lost North Carolina to Trump by less than 1.5 points, or just under 75,000 votes, despite having won the presidential election.
But Democrats see the state as a potential opportunity to boost momentum in 2024 and are investing both staff and advertising money there.
Despite this week’s close polls, Cook Political Report rates North Carolina with its 16 electoral votes as “leaning Republican.”
The Cook Political Report poll also had Harris in the swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump had a lead in Nevada. It showed the race tied 48-48 in Georgia.