The race for Senate remains close.

According to a recent poll by SurveyUSA, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole got 44 percent, Democrat Kay Hagan got 43 percent and Libertarian Christopher Cole got seven percent.

Six percent were undecided.

"Dole leads among men, among whites, among middle-aged voters and in Southern and Coastal NC," the pollsters write. "The contest is effectively even in greater Charlotte, greater Greensboro and greater Raleigh. Hagan leads among women, among seniors, among blacks, among pro-choice voters, among Moderates and among Independents." 

The poll of 617 likely voters was taken on Oct. 5-6. he margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points.

John McCain has jumped to a huge lead in a new poll.

A recent poll by SurveyUSA found that the Republican presidential candidate had 58 percent support, Democrat Barack Obama had 38 percent. Two percent said "other" and two percent were undecided.

In previous tracking polls, SurveyUSA put McCain's lead at between four and eight points.

The poll of 671 likely voters was taken Sept. 6-8, after the end of the Republican national convention. The margin of error was not available.

The governor's race remains close.

In a recent poll by SurveyUSA, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue had 47 percent, Republican Pat McCrory had 44 percent and Libertarian Mike Munger had five percent.

Five percent were undecided.

"Perdue's slight advantage is not significant, at this hour. The contest is fluid. Compared to an identical SurveyUSA poll released four weeks ago, Perdue is flat, McCrory is down 2," the pollsters write.

The survey of 655 likely voters was conducted Aug. 9-11. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. 

The gap in the Senate race is closing.

According to a recent poll by SurveyUSA for WTVD in Raleigh, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole had 46 percent, Democratic opponent Kay Hagan had 41 percent and Libertarian Chris Cole had seven percent. Five percent were undecided.

The poll shows Dole down after several ads by third-party groups attacking her have aired on North Carolina radio and television.

The pollsters caution that Cole's support may be overstated.

"Support for 3rd-Party candidates often collapses as Election Day nears, and that may or may not happen in North Carolina in 2008," they write. "Today, 12 weeks out, voters with a message they want to deliver to both Republicans and Democrats are using Cole as their protest vehicle." 

The survey of 655 likely voters was taken Aug. 9-11 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Another poll released this week has Democrat Kay Hagan within shouting distance of Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

SurveyUSA’s poll found Dole leading 50 percent to 46 percent among likely voters, reports Barb Barrett.

The poll was conducted for WTVD-TV in Raleigh. Voters were interviewed from Saturday through Monday. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

Two other recent polls, by Rasmussen and Public Policy Polling, also have Hagan, a state senator from Greensboro, close behind Dole. Dole, of Salisbury, is seeking her second term in the U.S. Senate.

More details after the jump.

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Public Policy Polling had the best numbers on the presidential race.

According to a "pollster report card" by rival SurveyUSA, the Raleigh-based Democratic firm came the closest to the actual 56-42 win by Barack Obama.

Public Policy Polling had predicted a 53-43 win, the closest any pollster came to Obama's percentage, though several other companies came closer on the margin of victory. (Civitas predicted an 18-point margin, but its numbers were much older.)

Under SurveyUSA's ranking system, which eludes our complete understanding, Public Policy Polling came out on top among 10 pollsters working on the North Carolina primary.

It beat out Zogby International, Rasmussen Reports and Research 2000 for the honor.