North Carolina Senate: Tillis (R) 45%, Cunningham (D) 45%

Incumbent Republican Thom Tillis is running dead even with Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham in North Carolina’s fevered U.S. Senate race.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone and online survey of Likely Voters in North Carolina shows Tillis and Cunningham with 45% support each. Four percent (4%) like some other candidate, while six percent (6%) remain undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Among the 47% who say they have already voted, however, Cunningham has a 13-point lead – 54% to 41%.

Ninety-four percent (94%) of Tar Heel State voters say they are certain to vote in this election. The candidates are tied with 46% apiece among these voters.

Tillis, former speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, was elected to the Senate in 2014, edging incumbent Democrat Kay Hagen by less than two points. Cunningham, a lawyer and former state senator, has been on the defensive in recent days following the disclosure of an extramarital sexual relationship.

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The survey of 800 Likely Voters in North Carolina was conducted October 20-21, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

President Trump and Democrat Joe Biden are running neck and neck in the battleground state of North Carolina.

Thirty-two percent (32%) of voters in North Carolina rate Trump’s overall job performance as the most important issue in the election. Just as many (31%) consider the economy first in importance. Other issues aren’t nearly as important as far as the state’s voters are concerned: public safety (12%); national security (7%); the environment (6%); illegal immigration (4%) and something else (4%).

Cunningham wins 56% support among those who put Trump’s job performance first. Sixty-three percent (63%) of voters who rate the economy most important prefer Tillis.

Cunningham leads among women and those under 40. Tillis has the advantage among men and older voters.

Tillis has the backing of 82% of North Carolina Republicans. Cunningham has 74% support among Democrats and leads by eight points among voters not affiliated with either major party.

Fifty percent (50%) of Democrats nationwide say they are more likely to vote absentee or by some other mail-in ballot in this election, compared to 22% of GOP voters and 43% of unaffiliateds.

Early voting is available in most states, and Democrats (79%) are far more likely to vote early than Republicans (52%) and unaffiliated voters (62%).

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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