Thread: Bump for Bush in polls

VOTERS GIVE W. A '7-UP'

By DEBORAH ORIN

June 25, 2004 --
WASHINGTON — President Bush has opened up a 7-point national lead over John Kerry, according to a new Fox News poll — while a Gallup Poll has a statistical tie with Bush up by 1 point.

It was Bush at 47 percent, Kerry 40 and independent Ralph Nader 3 in the Fox News nationwide poll of registered voters conducted Tuesday and Wednesday — marking a Bush gain from last month, when the race was dead-even.

Bush had 48 percent, Kerry 47 and Nader 3 in the Gallup-CNN-USA Today poll of likely voters conducted Monday through Wednesday — also a Bush gain since he trailed by 6 points in a Gallup poll earlier this month

Most polls since Ronald Reagan's funeral have shown a bump for Bush.

After a week of controversy over whether Saddam Hussein had ties to al Qaeda terrorists, Americans — by a 2-1 margin — agree with Bush that they had "a partnership," Fox News found.

In fact, 68 percent said it's likely Saddam knew in advance about 9/11.

Both new polls show widespread anxiety over Iraq. The Gallup poll found for the first time that most Americans think the Iraq war wasn't worth it — but Bush could be getting a boost from growing optimism over the economy.

Democrat Kerry claims middle-class voters feel "misery," but the Gallup poll found 49 percent think they're better off now than four years ago — about the same rating that Reagan got at this time in his successful 1984 re-election campaign.

New polls in battleground states also show a close race:

* In Pennsylvania, Bush led with 46 percent, Kerry had 41 and Nader 3 in a Fox News poll. But Kerry had a 1-point lead in a Quinnipiac University poll with Nader as the spoiler. Either way, it's a worry for Kerry since Al Gore won the state by 5 points in 2000.

* In Florida — the state that decided the 2000 race — Bush had a solid lead at 48 percent to Kerry's 38 with Nader at 3 in a Fox News poll. But an American Research Group poll had Kerry at 47 and Bush 46 — a tie.

* In Ohio, Bush had 45 percent to Kerry's 41 with Nader at 4 percent in a Fox News poll. But an American Research Group poll gave Kerry a 6-point lead. Bush won Ohio in 2000.

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/23796.htm