apnews.myway.com/article/20040304/D813PD7G1.html
WASHINGTON AP - In the first poll since John Kerry locked up the Democratic nomination, Kerry and President Bush are tied while independent Ralph Nader has captured enough support to affect the outcome, validating Democrats fears. The Republican incumbent had the backing of 46 percent, Kerry 45 percent and Nader, the 2000 Green Party candidate who entered the race last month, was at 6 percent in the survey conducted for The Associated Press by Ipsos-Public Affairs. Bush and the four-term Massachusetts senator, who emerged as the nominee Tuesday after a string of primary race wins over several rivals, have been running close or Kerry has been ahead in most recent polls that did not include Nader.
But in Florida and New Hampshire, Bush won such narrow victories that had Gore received the bulk of Naders votes in those states, he would have won the general election. Exit polls from 2000 show that about half of Naders voters would have backed Gore in a two-way race. While Naders support in the AP-Ipsos poll was 6 percent, his backing in polls in 2000 fluctuated in the single digits - often at about 4 percent, but sometimes higher. This year, Nader is unlikely to get the Green Party nod and faces a stiff challenge in getting his name on the ballot in 50 states.
Six in 10 said the country is on the wrong track, up from last month, while slightly more than a third of those surveyed - 35 percent - said the country is headed in the right direction. Weve got a long way to go and expect it to be a close race throughout, no matter what the factors are, said Terry Holt, a spokesman for the Bush campaign. The poll was conducted Monday through Wednesday as Kerry captured nine of 10 Super Tuesday elections and claimed the nomination. Nightly results suggested that Kerry did not get a bounce from winning the nomination. For all those who want to bring change to America, we need to remain united behind the Democratic nominee, said Kerry campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. Kerry, who had solid backing from 28 percent of the voters, was running strong among minorities, people with low incomes, single people, older voters and Catholics. Bush, who had solid backing from 37 percent, performed well among whites, men, Protestants, homeowners and suburban dwellers. Im worried about the Democrats taking control, said Stephanie Rahaniotis, a Republican from Lynbrook, NY She said after the Sept.
|
http://csua.com/feed/