WRAL poll: Ross keeping pace with Burr

Burr holds a 46 to 44 percent advantage over Ross, but that is well within the +/- 3.9 percentage point margin of error in the SurveyUSA poll. The firm polled 656 likely voters statewide between last Thursday and Monday.

Libertarian candidate Sean Haugh was favored by 3 percent of voters, while 7 percent remain undecided.

At 49 to 42 percent, Ross holds the smallest advantage among women voters of the Democratic candidates in the three major statewide races: president, Senate and governor. Meanwhile, Burr has a 12-point lead among men. He also holds a solid 47 to 37 percent lead among voters ages 18 to 49, while Ross has a 4-point lead among voters 50 and older.

Burr has a 16-point lead among rural voters to offset Ross' 22-point advantage among urban voters, and the two candidates evenly split the votes of suburban respondents. Although Burr has a 13-point lead among independents, the poll shows Ross leads among those who classify themselves as moderates by a 46 to 39 percent margin.

Ross, a former state lawmaker, is favored by voters who listed the economy or health care as the most important national issue, while Burr, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, has sizable leads among voters most concerned about national security and immigration.