North Carolina
Donald Trump retakes slim lead in North Carolina polling average
Donald Trump has retaken the lead in North Carolina, according to polling.
FiveThirtyEight’s poll tracker showed Harris take the lead in the state for the first time last Thursday when she was 0.2 points ahead of Trump. On Friday, she was 0.4 points ahead, on 45.8 percent to the former president’s 45.4 percent.
However, Trump has now retaken the lead, per the poll aggregator, which shows him 0.3 points ahead, on 45.8 percent to Harris’s 45.5 percent.
Newsweek has contacted the Trump and Harris campaigns for comment via email.
It comes after the most recent poll in the state, conducted by SoCal Strategies between August 26 and 27, showed that Trump has a 4-point lead over Harris among 612 likely voters, on 50 percent to Harris’s 46 percent. The poll had a 95 confidence level.
Trump’s lead over Harris among likely voters is powered by his influence among male (55 percent-41 percent) and white voters (57 percent-39 percent), according to the poll. He also leads Harris among independents, with 54 percent to her 37 percent.
Emily Elconin/Getty Images
Before Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign on July 21, Trump was leading the president in every poll in the state by between 2 points and 12 points.
However, the lead began to fade when Harris took Biden’s place atop the Democratic ticket. The vice president first saw a lead in North Carolina in a poll conducted between July 26 and August 2 by The Cook Political Report, which gave her a 2-point lead over Trump among likely voters when third-party candidates were included.
Since then, polls in North Carolina have shown Trump with only a lead of between 1 point to 4 points, while other polls have shown the two candidates neck and neck in the state, or Harris in the lead. RealClearPolitics’ polling average shows Trump with a 0.9-point lead in the state.
The tight margins mean that North Carolina is no longer the closest state in the presidential race, according to FiveThirtyEight.
It is also the second most likely state to be the tipping point state in November, with an 11 percent likelihood. A state’s tipping-point chance is the probability it will give the Electoral College winner their 270th electoral vote.
“The Trump campaign can’t afford to let North Carolina slip,” Cook Political Report Editor-in-Chief Amy Walter said on the organization’s website. “If Harris were to win just North Carolina and the Blue Wall states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, she could afford to lose every other competitive Sun Belt state—Nevada, Georgia, and Arizona—and still win the Electoral College vote.”
FiveThirtyEight’s forecast model shows that the Republicans are projected to secure a victory in the state, with a 0.4-point margin.
North Carolina has voted Republican in the last three presidential elections.
It is considered a swing state because of its close margins and its history of electing Democratic governors. Seven of the last eight gubernatorial races have gone blue in the state.
BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Copper theft is becoming a growing problem across North Carolina, with AT&T officials warning that the crime can leave entire neighborhoods without phone or internet service and, in some cases, disrupt emergency communications.
According to AT&T, the company has recorded 215 copper theft incidents across North Carolina so far this year. Buncombe County alone has seen about 40 incidents over the past two years. Thieves often cut down or dig up communication lines, strip the copper from the wire and sell the metal for scrap.
“It’s problematic, largely from a public safety standpoint,” said Trey Rabon, president of AT&T North Carolina. “If folks need to call emergency services, need to call 911, they’re not able to access the infrastructure necessary to complete that call.”
“Sometimes we see instances where emergency communications are disrupted, communications between public safety agencies are disrupted,” Rabon added. “It has become an acute challenge, particularly in western North Carolina.”
5 CHARGED AFTER AT&T WIRE THEFTS CAUSED WIDESPREAD OUTAGES IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY
Rabon said thieves frequently target both residential and commercial communication lines, taking advantage of remote mountain locations where utility poles are often out of sight from nearby homes.
“In the mountains, oftentimes personal property is not in line of sight for other neighbors,” Rabon said. “Would-be thieves have the ability to climb a pole, disconnect a line, drive to the next pole and disconnect that line.”
In May, five people were charged in connection with multiple copper thefts across Buncombe County that investigators said caused widespread outages. Law enforcement also discovered several wire-stripping sites in Swannanoa and Leicester.
The thefts have also impacted local businesses.
SWANNANOA PIZZA SHOP SAYS INTERNET WIRES WERE STOLEN, FORCING A DAY CLOSURE
In early June, thieves cut and stole internet lines serving Good Pizza Company. Owner George Peyton said the outage forced the restaurant to close because employees could not access essential business systems.
“Nobody could clock in, couldn’t print tickets, couldn’t take phone orders, and that’s about 80 to 85% of the business,” Peyton said.
AT&T officials say one of the most effective ways to prevent copper theft is for communities to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.
“They don’t like to operate in the light of day, and they certainly don’t want to operate with a hyper-aware and vigilant community,” Rabon said.
Anyone who suspects someone is stealing communication wire is encouraged to contact local law enforcement.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — The Myrtle Beach Police Department announced Monday the arrest of a man wanted in North Carolina.
Officers arrested Leko Jones, 46, who was wanted by authorities in Burlington, North Carolina, according to the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
Jones is charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault by strangulation.
The arrest resulted from a coordinated effort between the Myrtle Beach Police Department’s Patrol Division and Investigations Division, working alongside the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Investigators said they safely located Jones and took him into custody.
A section of E. 4th Street in Washington will close next week for sewer line replacement work.
According to the city, E. 4th Street from Hudnell Street to Aycock Street will be closed to local traffic on Tuesday, July 14, and Wednesday, July 15, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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