Marist Poll: Kari Lake, Mark Robinson Trail Rivals

Democrats running for statewide office in two key battleground states lead their Republican opponents in the latest surveys from the Marist Institute for Public Opinion released on Thursday.

Marist found that Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., leads Republican candidate Kari Lake in the race for Senate in the Grand Canyon state, with independents strongly supporting the Democrat.

• Gallego: 54% of likely voters, with 64% of independents
• Lake: 44% of likely voters, with 32% of independents

The group's North Carolina survey found that Republican Mark Robinson, who recently came under fire over a scandalous report from CNN detailing allegations against Robinson that the candidate has vehemently denied, trails Democrat Josh Stein in the state's gubernatorial race.

• Robinson: 43% of likely voters
• Stein: 54% of likely voters

Marist conducted the surveys between Sept. 19-24 among 1,524 adults in Arizona, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points, and 1,605 adults in North Carolina, with a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.

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