Former President Donald Trump holds leads over Vice President Kamala Harris in two key Sun Belt states and is tied in another with less than two weeks until Election Day.
Marist College polls released Thursday show Trump leading Harris 50%-48% in North Carolina, and the former president leads 50%-49% in Arizona. The two are tied at 49% in Georgia, according to the survey.
North Carolina
In North Carolina, a state Trump won in both 2016 and 2020, the former president improved his standing from the pollster’s September survey, which had Trump and Harris tied at 49%. The October poll also shows Trump leading Harris with independents, 53%-42%, in the state.
The RealClearPolitics polling average in the state shows Trump leading Harris 48.6%-47.8%, and the Cook Political Report rated the state as a toss-up.
Trump held multiple rallies in North Carolina this week as he attempts to shore up support in the Tar Heel State, which has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 2008. Harris last rallied in the state earlier this month.
Arizona
Trump won Arizona in 2016 but lost the state to Joe Biden in 2020. In the Marist poll released Thursday, his 1-point lead over Harris comes despite the vice president leading him with independents, 55%-45%.
The former president holds a 53%-46% lead over Harris with Latino voters in the state, according to the survey. In 2020, Biden beat Trump with Latino voters in Arizona, 61%-37%, according to a CNN exit poll.
The RealClearPolitics polling average in the state shows Trump leading Harris 49.2%-47.7%, and the Cook Political Report rated the state as a toss-up.
Trump will hold a rally Thursday in Arizona, while Harris’s running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), will be in the Grand Canyon State this weekend.
Georgia
The Marist poll in the Peach State showed an even race between the two candidates after the pollster’s September survey showed the former president leading Harris 50%-49%. Trump won the state in 2016 but lost it to Biden in 2020.
Harris holds an advantage in Georgia with independent voters, according to the poll, leading Trump 55%-40% with that group of voters. The tie in the Georgia Marist poll comes as most recent polls show the former president with anywhere from a 1- to 6-point lead over the vice president.
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The RealClearPolitics polling average in the state shows Trump leading Harris 49.0%-46.8%, and the Cook Political Report rated the state as a toss-up.
Trump participated in two campaign events Wednesday in Georgia, while Harris will hold a rally Thursday evening in the state with former President Barack Obama and singer Bruce Springsteen.