Poll: Trump leads in swing state North Carolina

(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump holds a 3 percentage point lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in a new poll of voters in the swing state of North Carolina.

American Greatness/TIPP and TechnoMetrica Institute of Policy and Politics conducted the poll of 1,037 registered voters in the state from Sept. 11-13. Of those, 973 respondents identified as likely voters.

Trump leads with 48.9% support to Harris' 45.9%, according to the survey, which has a margin of error of +/- 3.2%.

"Trump looks solid in North Carolina," pollster Raghavan Mayur, president of TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, told The Center Square. "He is breaking out as the voting begins."

Overseas ballots are scheduled to be mailed out to all North Carolina residents who requested them on Sept. 20. All others will be mailed Sept. 24, as The Center Square previously reported .

The ballots were scheduled to go out Sept. 6, 60 days before Election Day, but a legal battle over former presidential candidate John F. Kennedy Jr.'s name appearing on the ballot delayed the mailings. Kennedy won his lawsuit to have his name removed when the state Supreme Court ruled in his favor.

The latest American Greatness/TIPP survey was conducted after Tuesday's lone debate between Harris and Trump, which many pundits say Harris won. Mayur said the debate didn't seem to have much impact in North Carolina.

"Each state has its personality," he said. "NC seems not to be affected much by the debate. At least it is not showing in the horserace data."

Among independent voters, Trump holds a 46% to 41% advantage over Harris, according to the survey.

The economy and inflation remain the top concern among North Carolina voters, identified as a top three issue by 67% of respondents. Immigration/border security is the second top concern, identified on 46% of surveys as a top three issue, followed by health care (33%).

Of those who identified the economy as a top issue, 86% of respondents specifically said food prices were a top three concern.

In the state's governor's race, Democrat Attorney General Josh Stein holds a healthy 50%- 34% lead over Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the race to replace incumbent Gov. Roy Cooper.