Poll: Burr, Ross tied in NC Senate race

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and former state Rep. Deborah Ross (D) are in a dead heat in North Carolina’s Senate race, a poll released Tuesday finds.

{mosads}The Elon University survey found Ross leading Burr by less than a quarter of a point, 43.6 percent to 43.4 percent. Libertarian candidate Sean Haugh garnered 4 percent, and 8 percent of likely voters remain undecided.

The past several North Carolina polls had Ross leading by a slim margin, and one survey had her up by 9 points.

Burr is outperforming his party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump, in North Carolina. The same poll found that Trump trails Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by 6 points.

“That Richard Burr has not fallen in poll numbers like fellow Republicans … is a positive sign for the Burr campaign’s prospects as a whole,” said Jason Husser, director of the Elon University Poll.

But the poll also shows that ticket splitting is rare, with only 5 percent of Clinton and Trump supporters saying they planned to vote for the opposing party’s Senate nominee.

North Carolina has drawn national attention due to Ross’s fundraising prowess and lead in the polls, as well as the state’s close contest at the presidential level. The marquee race could end up determining which party controls the Senate next year.

The poll was conducted Sept. 27–30 and surveyed 660 likely voters via phone. The margin of error was 3.8 percentage points.