New Poll: Hagan and Tillis Tied in NC

A new High Point University poll released Monday finds the race for U.S. Senate in North Carolina in a current tie. 

Incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) and state Speaker of the House Thom Tillis both received 44 percent of the vote when North Carolina likely voters were asked who they would vote for if the election were held today. 

“We have been saying for a while that this Senate race would come down to the wire. These findings–taken together with the other recent polls–suggest the race remains extremely close,” Martin Kifer, assistant professor of political science and the director of the HPU Poll, said in a statement. 

The poll also looked at President Obama’s approval rating in the state — 41 percent approved to 55 percent that disapproved — as well as Hagan and Tillis’ 42/52 to 37/50 respectively. 

It also found that just 27 percent of voters think the country is headed in the right direction; 67 percent said it is headed in the wrong direction.

“We see a relatively large fraction of people who think the country is headed in the wrong direction, as well as low approval ratings of Congress, the president, and the two candidates,” Kifer added. “This indicates an electoral environment that has made it more difficult for either candidate to open up a wide lead.”

The HPU survey mirrors other polls which have found the race in a dead heat that could hinge on which candidate has the best get out the vote effort. 

The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent and was conducted among 862 North Carolina registered voters from Oct. 21 – Oct. 25.