Poll: Trump with slight lead on Clinton in North Carolina

Republican Donald Trump has a two-point lead on Democrat Hillary Clinton in a new Public Policy Polling survey of North Carolina voters.

The PPP poll has the race tied at 47 percent apiece for Trump and Clinton in a straight-up, two-way race. Including Libertarian Gary Johnson, Trump has a 45 percent to 43 percent lead, within the margin of error, with Johnson at 6 percent.

This suggests movement in Clinton’s direction of the Johnson voters peel off, as often happens. More movement toward Clinton seems likely when polling the preferences of the undecideds, who prefer a third term of President Obama (62 percent) to four years of Trump (5 percent).

Neither of the major-party candidates have a strong foothold in the Tar Heel State: both are seen favorably by 40 percent of voters, and unfavorably by 55 percent.

In the governor’s race, Democrat Roy Cooper leads incumbent Republican Gov. Pat McCrory 46 percent to 41 percent, with Libertarian Lon Cecil at 2 percent. When undecideds and Cecil voters are asked who they’d pick if they had to choose between Cooper and McCrory, Cooper’s lead ticks up to 50 percent to 43 percent.