Former President Donald Trump’s campaign received encouraging news on Tuesday with the release of a remarkable new poll indicating that he is leading Vice President Kamala Harris in the critical state of North Carolina.
The poll, which gathered responses from 1,042 likely voters, showed that 51 percent of North Carolinians plan to support Trump in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, compared to 46 percent who back Harris. This survey was conducted by Rasmussen Reports in collaboration with American Thinker, a conservative online publication, between October 9 and October 14.
The results suggest that Trump enjoys one of his most significant advantages in North Carolina, just three weeks prior to Election Day. This state could play a pivotal role in the November elections, and overall polling indicates that the race between Harris and Trump is among the most competitive this election cycle. The Rasmussen poll also revealed that voters consider the economy to be the foremost issue affecting their decision for the presidency, followed by abortion and border security as the next most important concerns.
In a recent survey published on Tuesday, voters were asked to identify the most pressing issue for the next president to address from four options: abortion rights, illegal immigration, rising prices, and the protection of democracy. The results indicated that immigration was the foremost concern for 29 percent of respondents, followed by rising prices at 24 percent, the safeguarding of democracy at 23 percent, and abortion rights at 22 percent, as reported by Newsweek.
Furthermore, a significant majority of participants, totaling 70 percent, indicated a preference for the next president to implement substantial changes. Additionally, more than three-quarters (77 percent) of likely voters expressed that their presidential choice is influenced by their support for a candidate rather than a motivation to prevent another candidate from succeeding.
Tracking data from FiveThirtyEight indicates that Trump holds a lead of 0.9 points in statewide polls within North Carolina, averaging 48.2 percent compared to Harris’s 47.3 percent, as reported by Newsweek. In a survey conducted by The Washington Post from September 25 to September 29, Trump was ahead of Harris by 3 points, based on responses from 1,001 registered voters.
Conversely, a poll by ActiVote, carried out between September 7 and October 6 with a sample of 400 likely voters, revealed Harris leading by 2 points, garnering 51 percent against Trump’s 49 percent. The Rasmussen survey suggests a notable increase in support for Trump following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and the subsequent criticism of the Biden-Harris administration’s delayed FEMA response. For the first time, a prominent election prediction model has shifted to indicate a “lean” towards Trump, after previously categorizing the race as a “toss-up.”
