GREENSBORO, N.C. — We all know North Carolina is an important battleground state, but there's one theoretical map model right now showing it could be the deciding state of the presidential election.
Eight states are currently considered a toss-up meaning they are consistently changing who is in the lead or polling within the margin of error: North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
If we fill those in the way polls are going, former President Donald Trump wins. It's not as big as the win over Hillary Clinton when Trump won 306 electrical college votes compared to Clinton's 232. But under this model, he would win with 297 compared to Biden's 241.
Here's how North Carolina could play an even bigger role. Another possible map shows if President Joe Biden can take Pennsylvania, then North Carolina's 16 electoral college votes would be enough to sway the election for either Biden or Trump.
But the chances of this happening are looking slimer. Right now Real Clear Politics shows Trump with a 2 percent lead over Biden in Pennsylvania, a change from March when Biden was in the lead. Still, they are both polling with the average margin of error meaning it's anyone's game there.
As for North Carolina, Trump's lead is shrinking slightly. Real Clear Politics says he has an average lead now of 5.4 percent down from 7.5 percent in February.
Of course, November is still a long way away. The map could change a lot before then, but one thing we know for sure: your vote will once again play an important role in the upcoming election.