RALEIGH, N.C. _ An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released Friday gives Democrat Hillary Clinton her biggest lead so far in North Carolina.
Clinton has a 9-point lead over Republican Donald Trump among registered North Carolina voters in the presidential race _ even when the survey added the choice of third-party candidates Jill Stein and Gary Johnson.
In a head-to-head contest, Clinton was the preference of 48 percent of registered voters, while Trump received 39 percent. The same poll in July gave Clinton a 44-38 lead in the state.
That's bad news for Trump because North Carolina is considered a must-win state for his campaign.
The Marist Poll conducted the survey between Aug. 4 and Aug. 10 and questioned 921 registered voters in the state. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
