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New York Times Poll: Clinton & Trump Tied In North Carolina, Cooper And Ross Hold Leads

North Carolina is shaping up to be one of if the not the chief battleground state in this year's presidential election.  And a new poll from the New York Times only adds more credence to that.  Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump are tied at 41% among likely voters polled.  Libertarian Gary Johnson received 11% support.  In a head-to-head match up between the major party nominees, Clinton leads Trump 45-43%.  The survey, done in conjunction with Siena College, polled 782 likely voters over last weekend.  The polling concluded before this week's police involved fatal shooting of an African-American man in Charlotte and the ensuing protests and unrest.

The polling numbers broke down around race and education levels.  In the 3-way matchup, Trump led among white voters surveyed 53-28%, while Clinton received 86% support from black voters polled compared to just 3% for Trump.   The Republican holds a 49-35% edge with those who do not have a college degree.  Those with a college degree favored Clinton 49-30%.  Those polled from western North Carolina overall favored Clinton 46-37%, with Johnson receiving 11% of the vote.

The poll also looked at North Carolina's U.S. Senate and gubernatorial campaigns.  Democrats hold the edge in both.  Deborah Ross leads Senator Richard Burr 46-42% in that race.  Breaking down the poll shows similarities to the presidential campaign, as the Republican Burr leads with white voters and those without a college degree.  Democrat Ross holds the edge with black and Latino voters, as well as those who have a college degree.  Those polled in western North Carolina prefer Ross 48-39%.

In the governor's race, Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper tops incumbent Republican Pat McCrory 50-42%.  McCrory does lead with white voters and those without college degrees, but by smaller percentages than both Trump and Burr.  Cooper is up with black and Latino voters, and those with college degrees.  Among the polled from western North Carolina, Cooper holds a 54-41% lead.

The poll also took the temperature of voters on several key issues in the campaign, showing that while a majority of North Carolinians support deporting undocumented immigrants, they oppose a wall along the entire U.S.-Mexico border. 

Deporting undocumented immigrants -

49% Support

41% Oppose

(47% Support 43% Oppose in western North Carolina)

Building a wall along entire Mexican border with U.S. -

40% Support

54% Oppose

(39% Support 57% Oppose in WNC)

North Carolina House Bill 2 -

47% Support

47% Oppose

(45% Support 52% Oppose in WNC)

Climate change a real threat or not -

62% Real Threat

34% Not A Real Threat

(67% Real Threat 30% Not A Real Threat in WNC)

Additional Federal Gun Control Legislation -

48% Support

45% Oppose

(46% Support 44% Oppose in WNC)

Full poll results and methodology click here.