A new round of NBC News-Marist polls shows President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney running almost neck-and-neck in three key battleground states, with Obama holding a slight advantage in Michigan and North Carolina, and the two candidates tied in New Hampshire.

Click here to read the NBC News/Marist Poll of New Hampshire

In Michigan, Obama is ahead by four percentage points among registered voters, including those who are undecided but are still leaning toward a candidate, 47 to 43 percent.

Click here to read the NBC News/Marist Poll of Michigan

In North Carolina, the president gets 46 percent to Romney's 44 percent, which is within the survey's margin of error.
And in New Hampshire, the two men are tied at 45 percent each.

Click here to read the NBC News/Marist Poll of North Carolina

"Everything is very close," says Lee Miringoff, the director of Marist College's Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted these surveys.

In 2008, Obama won Michigan and New Hampshire – which had been competitive states in previous presidential elections – by double-digit margins. And he carried North Carolina, a reliably Republican state since 1980, by just 14,000 votes.

In all three states, Obama's approval rating remains above water -- or right on the surface. In Michigan, 48 percent of registered voters approve of his job, while 42 percent disapprove.

In New Hampshire, it's 47 to 45 percent, and in North Carolina it's 47 to 47 percent.

Romney calls Obamacare 'moral failure'

As for Romney, his favorability rating is upside down in two of the three states. In Michigan, 37 percent say they have favorable impression of the former Massachusetts governor, and 43 percent have an unfavorable opinion. In North Carolina, Romney's fav/unfav is 40-42 percent.

The lone exception is in New Hampshire – which borders Massachusetts, and where Romney owns a home – it's even at 45-45 percent.

Mixed results on the economy
The issue of the economy is a mixed bag in each of these three states, as well.

Majorities say the country is headed in the wrong direction, but nearly equal majorities believe that Obama inherited the current economic conditions.

In Michigan, the president holds a narrow edge over Romney, 44 to 42 percent, when it comes to which candidate would do a better job handling the economy.

Romney, meanwhile, leads on this question in New Hampshire, 46 to 42 percent. And they are tied in North Carolina, at 43 percent.

"The economy plays both ways in all three states," Miringoff says.

Obama leads big with Hispanics, but they're not fired up and ready to go yet

In New Hampshire, adding Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) to the GOP presidential ticket doesn't improve Romney's standing in the Granite State.

A Romney-Ayotte team won the support of 43 percent of registered voters, versus 45 percent for Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

In a hypothetical contest for Michigan's Senate seat, incumbent Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow leads former Republican Rep. Pete Hoekstra by 12 points among registered voters, 49 to 37 percent.

NYT: Future of aging court raises stakes of 2012 vote

And in North Carolina's gubernatorial contest, former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, the Republican nominee, gets 43 percent, while Democratic Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton gets 41 percent.

These three NBC-Marist surveys were conducted June 24-25 by landline and cell phone of 1,078 registered voters in Michigan, 1,029 registered voters in New Hampshire and 1,019 registered voters in North Carolina.

The margin of error for the New Hampshire and North Carolina poll is plus-minus 3.1 percentage points, and it's 3.0 percentage points in Michigan.

Less than a week before Tuesday’s crucial Republican presidential primary in Michigan, a new NBC News/Marist poll shows Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum locked in a statistical tie, while a separate NBC/Marist survey shows Romney comfortably leading in Arizona, which holds its primary the same day.

In Michigan – which has turned into a make-or-break contest for Romney – the former Massachusetts governor gets the support of 37 percent of likely GOP primary voters, including those who are leaning toward a particular candidate.

NBC-Marist poll results: Michigan | Arizona

Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, gets 35 percent, and he’s followed by Texas Rep. Ron Paul at 13 percent and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 8 percent.

NYT: GOP campaigns grow more dependent on 'super PAC' aid

“Michigan is neck and neck,” says pollster Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted both surveys.

But in Arizona, Romney is on safer ground: He receives the support of 43 percent of likely GOP primary voters, Santorum gets 27 percent, Gingrich 16 percent and Paul 11 percent.

And looking ahead to November’s general election, President Barack Obama enjoys a double-digit edge over his closest GOP competition in Michigan (a state Republicans are hoping to target), while he’s trailing the leading Republicans in Arizona (which the Obama camp wants to put into play). 

Romney vs. Santorum ideological breakdown
In both states, support for Romney and Santorum breaks down along ideological lines, as well as whether voters have already cast their ballots.

In Michigan, Santorum leads Romney among self-identified Tea Party supporters, 48 to 29 percent, and those who describe themselves as “very conservative,” 59 to 20 percent.

Michigan voters: Santorum connects better than Romney

Yet among those who don’t support the Tea Party, Romney is ahead by more than 20 points, 45 to 24 percent.

And among those who have already voted absentee in Michigan – 16 percent of likely GOP voters – Romney leads Santorum, 49 to 26 percent.

NYT: After auto industry bailout, Detroit fallout trails Romney

The same ideological pattern is true in Arizona, although Romney performs much better with the most conservative voters there than in Michigan. 

And among those who have voted early or absentee in Arizona – more than half of all likely Republicans voters in the poll – Romney holds a 30-point advantage over Santorum, 52 to 22 percent.

Obama leads in Michigan, trails in Arizona
Turning to the general-election race in November, Obama leads Romney in Michigan by nearly 20 points among registered voters, 51 to 33 percent, with 15 percent undecided.

Against Paul, the president’s lead is 22 points (53 to 31 percent); against Santorum, it’s 26 points (55 to 29 percent); and against Gingrich, it’s 28 points (56 to 28 percent).

What’s more, 51 percent of registered Michigan voters approve of Obama’s job; 63 percent of them believe the auto industry bailout was a good idea (including 61 percent of independents and 42 percent of likely GOP primary voters); and a majority think the president deserves credit for the auto industry’s recovery.

But Arizona is tougher territory for the president, whose approval rating among registered voters in the state is just 38 percent.

NYT: Obama offers to cut corporate tax rate to 28%

In hypothetical match-ups, Obama trails Romney by five points (40 to 45 percent); Santorum by three (42 to 45 percent); Paul by 2 points (41 to 43 percent); yet he leads Gingrich by five (45 to 40 percent).

The NBC/Marist survey of Michigan was conducted Feb. 19-20 of 3,149 registered voters (margin of error of plus-minus 1.8 percentage points) and 715 likely Republican primary voters (plus-minus 3.7 percentage points).

The NBC/Marist survey of Arizona also was conducted Feb. 19-20 of 2,487 registered voters (plus-minus 2.0 percentage points) and 767 likely GOP primary voters (plus-minus 3.5 percentage points).