Poll: Obama leads in swing-state North Carolina

President Obama leads presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in the key battleground state of North Carolina, according to a new poll from SurveyUSA.

Obama leads Romney 47 percent to 43. Most of the demographic trends that have proved reliable in other polls hold true in the SurveyUSA data – Obama has a wide lead over Romney with young, female and black voters, while Romney outperforms among white and older voters.

Romney leads Obama by 5 points with independents.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus was in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, looking to rally Republicans to reclaim a state that before 2008 had been reliably Republican.

The Democratic National Convention will take place in Charlotte in September.

North Carolina is one of 12 swing states that will be critical in determining the outcome of the 2012 election. A Public Policy Polling survey released on Tuesday showed Obama leading by 8 points in Virginia, which will be another important battleground state in the fall election.

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