Republicans close in on Democrats in Michigan, North Carolina Senate races

Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina pulled even with his Democratic challenger, and in Michigan, the Republican candidate for a US Senate seat cut into the Democratic incumbent's lead, Reuters/Ipsos polls showed on Tuesday.

There are about 12 competitive US Senate races this year, 10 with vulnerable Republican incumbents and two with vulnerable Democrats. To have a majority in the Senate, Democrats need to pick up three seats if the party wins the White House, which gives the vice president a tie-breaking vote, and four if not.

Here are the latest results for three Senate races on which Reuters/Ipsos is polling:

North Carolina (Oct. 14-20 poll)

* Voting for Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham: 47 per cent

* Voting for Republican Senator Thom Tillis: 47 per cent

* Cunningham led Tillis 46 per cent-42 per cent in the prior week.

* 12 per cent said they had already voted.

Michigan (Oct. 14-20 poll)

* Voting for Democratic Senator Gary Peters: 50 per cent

* Voting for Republican challenger John James: 45 per cent

* Peters led James 52 per cent-44 per cent in the prior week.

* 28 per cent said they had already voted.

Arizona (Oct. 7-14 poll)

* Voting for Democratic challenger and former astronaut Mark Kelly: 52 per cent

* Voting for Republican Senator Martha McSally: 41 per cent

* Kelly was up 51 per cent-41 per cent in the prior poll.

* 10 per cent said they had already voted.

NOTES: The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online and in English. The Michigan poll surveyed 686 likely voters and had a credibility interval of 4 percentage points. North Carolina's surveyed 660 likely voters and had a credibility interval of 4 percentage points. The earlier Arizona survey included 667 likely voters and had a credibility interval of 4 percentage points.