NC Senate race closer than expected

Published September 9, 2016

[caption id="attachment_17020" align="alignleft" width="93"] Photo by Time Warner Cable[/caption]

by Matt Caulder, Capitol Connection, September 8, 2016

The election between Republican Sen. Richard Burr and challenger Democrat Deborah Ross is heating up as Election Day draws near, and many think that the race is shaping up to be closer than expected.

In terms of fundraising, Burr has almost spent as much as Ross has raised, but according to the most recent poll numbers Ross has only trailed Burr by two to five points over the most recent polls.

According to Opensecrets.org, Burr has raised $8.7 million, as of June 30, and has spent $3.1 million of it, while Ross has only raised $3.9 million and has spent $2 million as of June 30.

Outside money has come in for Burr as well in the form of $357,000 from the National Rifle Association, $202,000 from ClearPath Action and $90,000 from Americans for Prosperity.

In the CBS poll released last week, Ross led Burr in a poll for the first time in the race, but only within the margin of error, with those polled saying that 41 percent of them were for Ross and 40 percent for Burr.

In the August poll of unaffiliated voters from the Civitas Institute, a conservative think-tank in Raleigh, Burr was leading Ross 38 percent to 23 percent, with Libertarian Sean Haugh at 9 percent.

The Civitas Institute is due to release its most recent poll numbers at a breakfast meeting Sept. 15, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Raleigh.

http://nccapitolconnection.com/2016/09/08/nc-senate-race-closer-than-expected/