Still ahead...

Polls: Biden remains ahead in Michigan and Wisconsin

Georgia and North Carolina remain extremely close.

By DAVID COHEN

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden remains ahead of President Donald Trump in the essential swing states of Michigan and Wisconsin, according to NBC News/Marist polls released Sunday.

Also Sunday, CBS News Battleground Tracker polls in Georgia and North Carolina showed the presidential races there just about deadlocked.

In the NBC/Marist polls Biden led by 52 percent to 44 percent in Michigan among likely voters and by 54 to 44 in Wisconsin. Trump won both states in 2016 but has consistently trailed in polls during the 2020 election season.

Biden has significant edges in both states among Black voters, women, independents and seniors. Trump‘s biggest edge is among evangelical Christians.

In both states, a majority of those polled said the election winner should fill the vacant Supreme Court seat for which Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett on Saturday: 54 percent in Michigan and 56 percent in Wisconsin. The polls were conducted before Trump announced the selection of Barrett.

In the race for the Senate in Michigan, Democratic incumbent Gary Peters leads GOP challenger John James by a margin of 49 percent to 44 percent.

Meanwhile, in the CBS News Battleground Tracker polls, Trump led Biden by a single point, 47-46, in Georgia but trailed Biden, 48-46, in North Carolina. Trump won both those states in 2016, and Republicans have, in particular, dominated voting in Georgia in recent decades.

The president has a 10-point edge in South Carolina, 52-42, according to a third CBS presidential poll. Much closer is the Senate race in that state, where incumbent Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham leads Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison by a single point, 45-44.

Another senator in trouble, according to CBS polling, is North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis, who trails Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham 48 percent to 38 percent.

The NBC News/Marist Poll of Michigan was conducted Sept. 19-23, and the NBC News/Marist Poll of Wisconsin was conducted Sept. 20-24. Margins of error varied in different categories, ranging from 3.6 percentage points to 4.6 percentage points.

The CBS surveys were conducted by YouGov from Sept. 22 to Sept. 25. They are based on 1,164 registered voters in Georgia, 1,213 in North Carolina, and 1,080 in South Carolina. Margins of error for registered voters are plus or minus 3.3 points in Georgia, plus or minus 3.6 points in North Carolina, and plus or minus 3.8 points in South Carolina.