- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat
challenger John Kerry has pulled ahead of President Bush in a poll published
by Newsweek magazine showing Thursday's television debate erased the lead
Bush had enjoyed for the last month.
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- In a two-way contest, the Kerry/Edwards ticket in the
Nov. 2 presidential election led by 49 percent against 46 percent for Bush/Cheney,
according to 1,013 registered voters polled by Princeton Survey Research
Associates International.
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- According to the poll, 61 percent of Americans who watched
the first presidential debate on Sept. 30 said Kerry won, 19 percent said
Bush won and 16 percent said they tied. The number of debate viewers surveyed
was 770.
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- Bush's job approval rating dropped two points from the
Sept. 9-10 Newsweek poll to 46 percent -- a 6-point drop since the Republican
national convention a month ago. Fifty-seven percent of all poll respondents
-- a total of 1,144 adults -- said they were dissatisfied with the way
things were going in the United States now.
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- Sixty percent of registered voters said Bush administration
policies and diplomatic efforts had led to more anti-Americanism around
the world and 51 percent said the administration had not done enough to
involve major allies and international organizations in trying to achieve
its foreign policy goals, the poll showed.
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- However, 46 percent of registered voters said they would
still like to see Bush re-elected, against 48 percent who said they would
not like to see him re-elected.
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- When registered voters were asked who would handle issues
better overall, Bush led Kerry 52 to 40 percent on terrorism and homeland
security.
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- Kerry scored better on the economy -- 52 percent against
39 percent -- and health care, including Medicare -- 56 percent to 34 percent.
He was also seen to be better at handling American jobs and foreign competition
-- 54 percent against 36 percent.
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- For questions put to registered voters, the margin of
error was plus or minus 4 percentage points; to debate viewers, it was
4.1 points; and for total adults, 3 points.
- © Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
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