The 7th district congressional race down in Southeastern North Carolina appears to be heating up.
A new poll shows that Democratic Rep. Mike McIntyre and his Republican challenger Illario Pantano in a dead heat. The survey taken for the conservative leaning Civitas Institute shows Pantano leading among registered voters with 46 percent, followed by McIntyre with 45 percent, and nine percent undecided.
Among likely voters, Pantano's lead jumps to 52-42 percent.
The poll of 450 registered voters was conducted Sept. 24-26 by SurveyUSA of Clifton, New Jersey. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percent.
The spin: “McIntyre touts the fact that he is a conservative Blue Dog Democrat; this has given him an edge in appealing to both moderate and conservative voters in the district,” said Civitas analyst Chris Hayes. “But this has also turned off portions of hard-line Democratic, especially African-American, voters who have become disappointed with McIntyre and his diversion from voting with the president.”
