Poll: Clinton holds 7-point lead in NC

Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by 7 points in the crucial battleground state of North Carolina, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released Tuesday.

{mosads}Clinton, the Democratic nominee, has 46 percent support in the Tar Heel State to Trump’s 39 percent, the poll found.

A September version of the same poll — taken before the three presidential debates — showed the two nominees tied at 41 percent apiece.

Trump, the Republican nominee, has a big edge among North Carolina whites without college degrees, leading 66 percent to 22 percent.

But among whites with college degrees, Clinton leads 42 percent to 40 percent. GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney won that group by 20 points in 2012, en route to a slim victory in the state.

The poll surveyed 792 likely voters from Oct. 20 to 23. It has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.