A new poll shows Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris with a narrow lead in a state that hasn’t been won by a Democrat since 2008.
A Quinnipiac University Poll The photo released Monday shows Harris standing before former President Donald Trump in North Carolina.
Former President Barack Obama captured North Carolina in 2008, but no Democrat — including Obama four years later — has done so since.
At the same time, Trump holds a lead over Harris in Georgia, a state that President Joe Biden flipped to the Democratic side in 2020.
The poll showed Harris ahead in North Carolina, 49 percent to Trump’s 46 percent, while Trump leads in Georgia, 49 percent to Harris’s 45 percent, among likely voters.
Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris (left) holds a lead over former Republican President Donald Trump (right) in North Carolina — a state Democratic President Barack Obama captured in 2008 — while Trump is ahead in Georgia
The two southern swing states are split over presidential preference, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris ahead in North Carolina and former President Donald Trump ahead in Georgia.
In North Carolina, Green Party candidate Jill Stein polled at 1 percent, while other third-party candidates fell short of that level.
In Georgia, it was independent progressive candidate Cornell West and Party for Socialism and Liberation candidate Claudia De la Cruz who received 1 percent of the vote.
With independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. off the ballot in most swing states, third-party candidates have less influence on the race.
When pollsters gave only the option of Trump or Harris, the Democrat remained ahead in North Carolina — 50 percent to 47 percent — and in Georgia, Trump still held a lead — 49 percent to 46 percent.
Harris’ lead in North Carolina is within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percent, while Trump’s lead in Georgia is just outside that.
The poll took place from September 4 to 8.
Trump and Harris will meet for the first time on the debate stage in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
In both southern states, which have typically voted for Republican presidential candidates in recent decades, there are large gender and racial divides. Male and white voters lean toward Trump, while female and black voters lean toward Harris.
In Georgia, however, Trump is doing better among white voters and women than in North Carolina, which explains why Harris is ahead in North Carolina.
Fifty-six percent of men in North Carolina support Trump, while only 38 percent support Harris, while 60 percent of women in the state want Harris, compared to only 37 percent of women.
Among black voters, 85 percent voted for Harris to 13 percent, while among white voters, 56 percent voted for Trump to 41 percent.
White voters in Georgia are more likely to vote for Trump: 68 percent vs. 28 percent.
Black voters in Georgia show a similar split as voters in North Carolina: 68 percent versus 28 percent.
The same percentage of men in Georgia support Trump: 56 percent, while 37 percent of men in Georgia support Harris.
The split among women voters in Georgia is 52 percent for Harris and 43 percent for Trump. That means a smaller share of women in Georgia voted for Harris than in North Carolina.