Light up:Trump leading in three battleground Sun Belt states, according to New York Times poll

Former President Donald Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris in three critical battleground states: Arizona, North Carolina and Georgia, according to a new poll by the New York Times and Siena College.

The poll, released on Monday and conducted from Sept. 17 to 21, surveyed 713 voters in Arizona, 682 voters in Georgia and 682 voters in North Carolina. Each state has a margin of error between four and five percentage points.

Voters in all three states expressed concerns about the economy, abortion, immigration, and the direction of the country as a whole. Both candidates were viewed unfavorably by the majority of respondents, with 50% viewing Trump and 51% viewing Harris as somewhat or very unfavorable.

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In North Carolina, a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 2008, Trump’s lead is a narrow 49-47 margin. But in Arizona and Georgia — two states that narrowly went to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election — Trump is now leading Harris by a slightly higher margin: 50-45 in Arizona and 49-45 in Georgia.

Both campaigns have aggressively targeted swing states following the Sept. 10 presidential debate.

Harris recently held two rallies in North Carolina and appeared in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday at an event highlighting reproductive rights in the state. She is scheduled to visit Arizona later this week, but the campaign has not yet announced which city she will visit.

Following the debate, Trump also held rallies in Tucson, Arizona, and Wilmington, North Carolina. He is set to campaign in Savannah, Georgia on Tuesday.

Maya Homan is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY who focuses on Georgia politics. She is @MayaHoman on X, formerly Twitter.