New poll shows Romney with small lead in NC

Republican Mitt Romney holds a slight lead Democrat Barack Obama in North Carolina, according to a new poll.

Romney leads Obama by a 47-45 percent margin, but within the margin of error, according to the Civitas Poll, which was conducted by a polling firm for a Raleigh-based conservative advocacy group. The results were similar to a poll taken for WRAL which showed Romney up 45-44 percent.

The Civitas Poll found that Romney had moved up substantially in North Carolina since a February survey, largely because he is doing well among unaffiliated voters. The survey found Romney is leading Obama among unaffiliated voters by a 49-40 percent margin. In February he was down by 2 points among unaffiliated voters.

The spin: “In our first poll since the effective end of the Republican primary and after Democrats have started a barrage of attacks, Romney is not only competitive, but slightly ahead,” said Francis De Luca, Civitas president. “Romney's poll numbers have stayed virtually unchanged in North Carolina, a key battleground state. On the other hand, Obama's numbers seem to move in tandem with the economic news of the day.”

The poll of 600 registered voters was conducted May 19-20 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, N.J. and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.