Ahead in North Carolina, Georgia

Poll: Biden slightly ahead in North Carolina, Georgia

The presumptive Democratic nominee has made inroads among white voters.

By DAVID COHEN

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden has made inroads among white voters in two Southern states, improving his chances in North Carolina and Georgia, according to a CBS News poll released Sunday.

The CBS News Battleground Tracker poll showed Biden leading President Donald Trump in North Carolina, 48 percent to 44, and edging Trump in Georgia by a single percentage point, 46 to 45.

Trump won both states in 2016, collecting 31 votes in the Electoral College. No Democratic presidential candidate has won Georgia since Bill Clinton in 1992, and only one Democrat (Barack Obama in 2008) has won North Carolina in the past 10 presidential elections.

The poll showed that Trump has lost ground since 2016 among white voters, down 12 percentage points in Georgia and 7 in North Carolina. The president has in particular lost ground among white voters with college degrees.

Biden leads Trump among female voters with at least 50 percent support in both states and has an overwhelming edge among African American voters, with Biden surpassing 80 percent in both states.

By a small margin, voters in both states give Trump the edge in dealing with the economy.

The polling was conducted on behalf of CBS News by YouGov from July 28 to July 31, using samples of 1,131 registered voters in Georgia and 1,152 in North Carolina. Margins of error for registered voters are plus or minus 3.4 points in Georgia and plus or minus 3.8 points in North Carolina.