Raleigh, N.C. — Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory are neck-and-neck in the North Carolina gubernatorial race, according to a new WRAL News poll.

A survey of 500 likely voters on Tuesday by the polling firm Rasmussen Reports showed Perdue, the Democratic nominee, with 47 percent of the vote and McCrory, the Republican nominee, with 46 percent. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Perdue erased the slight lead McCrory held immediately after the state's May 6 primary. In a poll conducted then, McCrory held a 45 to 39 percent lead.

The latest poll shows a reverse gender gap: Perdue holds a slight lead among male voters, while McCrory leads among female voters. Perdue leads among voters ages 30 to 49, and McCrory holds an edge with both younger and older voters. Perdue holds a sizable lead among voters with children in the home and in most income brackets.

Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed have a favorable view of McCrory, and Perdue's favorable rating was 52 percent.

The poll also found that an overwhelming majority of voters, 89 percent, would like to make English the official language of North Carolina's government offices. Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed are in favor of increased taxes on cigarettes and alcohol, which Gov. Mike Easley has proposed to generate money for teacher raises and mental health programs.