New poll shows tight Senate race in North Carolina

North Carolina Republican Senate nominee Rep. Ted Budd leads Democratic nominee Cheri Beasley by 1 percentage point, according to a poll released on Monday.

The SurveyUSA-WRAL poll found Budd garnered the support of 43 percent of respondents in the race to replace retiring Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), compared to Beasley’s 42 percent support. Thirteen percent said they were undecided.

Budd’s favorability rating also clocked in higher than Beasley’s.

Forty-three percent of voters indicated they had a favorable opinion of Budd, compared to 39 percent who expressed an unfavorable opinion.

Beasley’s favorability stands at 41 percent, just above the 40 percent of respondents who said they had an unfavorable opinion.

The poll is the latest survey to suggest a close race in a contest the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates as “lean Republican.”

A Civiqs poll late last month found Beasley had a 1-point lead, while a survey released by The Hill a day later suggested Budd maintained a 3-point lead.

The new SurveyUSA-WRAL poll indicated a plurality of voters — 44 percent — ranked the economy as the most important issue in determining their vote, and those voters supported Budd by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.

Budd and other Republicans have looked to tie their Democratic opponents to high inflation rates, attacking the party’s sweeping spending packages that passed Congress in recent months.

Seventeen percent of voters said abortion is the most important issue following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, which has energized Democrats. Those voters backed Beasley by 67 percentage points. 

Nine percent ranked health care as their top issue, while 8 percent indicated immigration.

More than 4 in 10 voters said former President Trump’s endorsement of Budd makes them less likely to vote for him, compared to 30 percent who said it increases the likelihood they’ll support Budd. 

Late last month, Trump traveled to Wilmington, N.C., to stump for Budd. Trump endorsed Budd last year soon after he jumped into the race and well before the state’s primary.

The poll was conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 2 with 1,100 North Carolina adults interviewed online. The margin of error is 4.4 percentage points.