Sean Moran
Former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump have struck a dead heat in the race for North Carolina, according to a poll released Monday.
An Emerson College/Nexstar Media poll of North Carolina likely voters found that 50 percent would vote for Biden, while 49 percent would vote for Trump. With the poll’s 3.6 percent margin of error, this makes the race for North Carolina’s 15 electoral votes a virtual tie. One percent of voters remain undecided.
The Emerson College poll in August had Trump leading by two points against Biden, or 48 to 46 percent, with six percent of voters undecided.
North Carolina voters remain evenly split on the 45th president’s job approval; 49 percent approve of Trump’s performance in office, while 49 percent disapprove of his first term in office.
North Carolina voters’ preference for either Biden or Trump largely varies over age and whether voters live in a rural or urban community.
Biden leads with younger voters, with 70 percent of those under 44 years old preferring Biden, whereas Trump leads with those older than 45, with 61 percent of the vote. Biden leads in urban areas with 65 percent of the vote to 32 percent for Trump. In suburban areas, Biden leads Trump 57 to 42 percent, while Trump leads in rural areas 68 to 31 percent.
The president leads with voters holding a high school diploma or less, while Biden leads with those who have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Trump leads unaffiliated voters 55 to 43 percent, while 90 percent of Democrats prefer Biden, and 89 percent of Republicans support Trump.
Other recent North Carolina polls had Biden leading Trump by a small margin.
A New York Times/Siena poll had the former vice president leading Trump by one point, whereas a USA Today poll had Biden leading the president by three points.
The North Carolina Emerson College survey was conducted between September 16 and 18. The sample for the poll consists of 717 likely North Carolina voters.
