Budd widens lead over Beasley in North Carolina Senate race: poll

Rep. Ted Budd (R) has widened his lead to 6 points over Democratic candidate Cheri Beasley in the race for North Carolina’s Senate seat, according to a new East Carolina University (ECU) poll.

Budd is leading Beasley 50 to 44 percent among likely voters. In early September, he was leading Beasley by just 3 points in a similar ECU poll.

“Although it is still competitive, Ted Budd is the favorite to win North Carolina’s U.S. Senate election based on our latest poll numbers,” Peter Francia, director of the ECU Center for Survey Research, said in a statement.

The poll comes after the candidates sparred during a debate earlier this month over several issues, including abortion.

Budd during the debate also tried to tie Beasley to President Biden, who saw his job approval ratings dip amid a 40-year-high inflation rate.

In North Carolina, Biden’s job approval rating stands at 38 percent, according to the ECU poll.

The poll was conducted from Oct. 10 to Oct. 13 among 902 likely voters. The margin of error is 3.8 percentage points.