The North Carolina race for U.S. Senate between House Speaker Thom Tillis (R), and incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) is tied, according to a new NBC News/Marist poll released Sunday.
The poll found Hagan and Tillis tied with 43 percent each among likely voters. That finding is a shift from previous polling which has generally shown Hagan with a small lead over Tillis. NBC News and Marist previously found Hagan with a 4 point lead over Tillis.
Another 7 percent said they support Libertarian candidate Sean Haugh.
Tillis’s gain, according to the new poll, is because of an increase in support among independent voters.
Hagan and Tillis both have less-than-ideal favorability ratings. The poll found that 41 percent said they have a favorable view of Hagan while 48 percent have a negative view. Meanwhile 40 percent said they have a positive view of Tillis while 44 percent said they have e negative view.
The poll was conducted among 758 likely voters from Oct. 19 to Oct. 23. It had a margin of error of plus or mini 3.6 percentage points.
