With two weeks before early voting begins in North Carolina, the presidential race is too close to call.That’s according to a new High Point University survey, which finds Donald Trump and Kamala Harris knotted at 48% a piece among 589 likely voters.This is just the latest poll of the southern swing state to suggest a close race. The RealClearPolitics polling average shows just a 0.6 point Trump lead, factoring in a batch of tied polls and not including a single survey with either candidate leading by more than 3 points.The dead heat is remarkable in a sense given that 67% of likely voters think the country is on the wrong track under the Joe Biden administration, with 55% disapproving of the president’s leadership, along with 50% who aren’t happy with Harris’ performance in her current post (against 45% approval).But despite the Democratic nominee being underwater as vice president, survey participants are marginally more favorable to her as a candidate for the top job, with 50% approving of the campaign version of Harris against 47% disapproval.Conversely, Trump is seen unfavorably as a candidate by 52% of respondents; 47% regard him favorably.So why the tie?Despite the gap in personal approval ratings between Trump and Harris, the issues that matter most to Tar Heels play to the former president’s strengths.Thirty-one percent see improving economic conditions as the most important consideration when they vote, while 16% identify illegal immigration as their primary preoccupation.Those are the only two concerns more than 10% of respondents say matter most.On both issues, Trump is the favored option over Biden’s understudy.
By a margin of 50% to 45%, the ex-prez is seen as the champion of economic growth in this election. And when it comes to managing immigration, 55% of North Carolina voters say Trump is better suited for the job than “Border Czar” Harris, whose administration has presided over prolonged failures in border security.Only 37% of ...