N.C. Poll: Romney 50, Obama 45

A new poll shows Mitt Romney has taken a significant lead in North Carolina, a state which Barack Obama won by just 12,000 votes in 2008. The Civitas Poll of 600 North Carolina adults shows Romney with 50 percent support, compared to Obama's 45 percent support. That's a big gain for Romney, who in the same poll in March had only a 2-point lead over Obama, 47 percent to 45 percent. Here's more from Civitas:

The new Flash Poll follows Thursday’s Supreme Court decision that declared the crucial parts of the federal health takeover – Obamacare – to be constitutional. In the poll, 50 percent of adults surveyed said they disagreed with the high court’s ruling; 45 percent said they expected the health care they themselves receive to get worse; and more than half expected their care to get more expensive.

Among independents – listed as unaffiliated in North Carolina – Romney led the president 54 percent to 36 percent. This is the continuation of a trend that began earlier this year. In the March Civitas Poll, among unaffiliated voters Romney was up 49-40 percent. That in turn was a double-digit improvement from February, when he was down by 2 percent among those voters.

The RealClearPolitics poll average for North Carolina shows Romney with a 1.8-point advantage over Obama, with the trend seemingly moving in the Republican's direction. Romney would almost certainly have to win North Carolina and its 15 electoral college votes in order to defeat Obama in November.