Poll Watch: Close Dem Races for Senate, Governor

Another poll shows Barack Obama with a healthy lead over Hillary Clinton in North Carolina. And the poll also shows the Democratic primaries for governor and U.S. Senate to be dead heats.

The tracking poll by SurveyUSA, released today, shows Obama with 49 percent and Clinton with 39 percent. That 10-point lead is smaller than the lead of more than 20 points that Obama had in two other recent polls.

The poll also surveyed voters on state races. In the Democratic primary for governor, it showed a tie: Beverly Perdue and Richard Moore both have 40 percent — good news for Moore, as it is more evidence of his recent comeback. In the Senate primary, Kay Hagan is listed with 21 percent and Jim Neal has 20 percent — good news for Neal, who has finished behind Hagan in other polls. Both Moore and Neal sent out press releases this evening touting the SurveyUSA results.

In the Republican primary for governor, Pat McCrory is solidifying his lead. The SurveyUSA poll lists McCrory with 38 percent and Fred Smith with 19 percent. Meanwhile, the weekly Republican tracking poll from Public Policy Polling, which also came out today, lists McCrory with 36 percent and Smith with 26 percent. Both polls showed the other two Republican candidates — Bill Graham and Bob Orr — with 10 percent or less.