Poll: Kerry loses ground with voters (Includes new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll)

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | 26 August 2004 | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

[AmericanInTokyo]

Poll: Kerry loses ground with voters

By WILL LESTER ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

WASHINGTON -- Democrat John Kerry has lost ground with voters in their perceptions of his honesty, leadership skills and Vietnam experience during the heated debate over his war record as a swiftboat commander, a poll found.

Ads paid for by a group called the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth have questioned Kerry's Vietnam service and claim he lied about his actions while piloting a swiftboat on a Vietnam river in the late 1960s. The Kerry campaign has rebutted the claims with Navy documents and other veteran accounts, and Kerry has accused President Bush of being behind the ads paid for by an independent group. Bush has denied that charge.

A month ago, Kerry and President Bush were tied on the question of who has the honesty and integrity to serve as president. Bush now has an advantage on that question, 46 percent to 39 percent, according to a Los Angeles Times poll released Thursday.<

The number of people who feel that in his Vietnam combat missions, Kerry demonstrated qualities America needs in a president has dropped from 58 percent in June to 48 percent now, according to the Times poll.

The poll found Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney with a slight lead, backed by 47 percent to 44 percent for Kerry and running mate John Edwards and 3 percent for independents Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo. The head-to-head matchup has shown very little change with Bush and Kerry tied in July. Other polls released Thursday also found the race very close with Bush-Cheney at 48 percent, Kerry-Edwards at 46 percent and Nader-Camejo at 4 percent in a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll.

A Battleground Poll, sponsored by George Washington University, found Kerry-Edwards backed by 48 percent, Bush-Cheney backed by 47 percent and Nader-Camejo backed by 3 percent. While the debate over Kerry's Vietnam record appears to have eroded some of his gains on character qualities when compared with Bush, several polls show the race remains very close.

Voters are so deadlocked on their choice for president that the campaigns will need to focus on keeping the intensity of support high and turning them out on Election Day, according to pollsters Ed Goeas, a Republican, and Celinda Lake, a Democrat, who conducted the Battleground survey. That poll found Kerry has solidified support among key groups, like blacks and union voters.

Here are details on the polls' methods:

-The bipartisan Battleground poll of 1,000 likely voters was conducted Aug. 15-17 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

-The Los Angeles Times poll of 1,352 registered voters was conducted Aug. 21-24 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

-The CNN-USA Today poll 709 likely voters was taken Aug. 23-25 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

[OESY]

John F. Kerry: "Hey, that poll wasn't supposed to be there.

The ambulance? Bring it on!"

[OESY]

John F. Kerry: "Hey, I think the wheels came off my campaign. Even my
first choice for VP is attacking me. This train may not leave the station."

[OESY]

John F. Kerry: "Hey, how did my misfit advisors let this crash happen to me?

You know, I liked the Swift boats better. You felt invincible during sustained
absences of enemy fire. My guys took care of me. They would do anything to save
my rice-scared butt. Of course, he who pens the after-action reports writes history."

[VRWC_minion]

RealClearPolitics Poll Averages^SM

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2004 Presidential Race - 3 Way
Poll	Date	Bush/ Cheney	Kerry/ Edwards	Nader/ Camejo	Spread
RCP Average	8/15 - 8/25	44.2%	44.2%	2.6%	TIE
FOX News (1,000 LV)	8/24 - 8/25	43%	44%	3%	Kerry +1
LA Times (1,352 RV)	8/21 - 8/24	47%	44%	3%	Bush +3
IBD/TIPP (884 RV)	8/17 - 8/23	43%	43%	5%	TIE
CBS News (835 RV)	8/15 - 8/18	45%	46%	1%	Kerry +1
Battleground Poll (1,000 LV)	8/15 - 8/17	43%	44%	1%	Kerry +1
Click Here to See All 3-Way Polling Data

2004 Presidential Race - Head to Head
Poll	Date	Bush/ Cheney	Kerry/ Edwards	Spread
RCP Average	8/21 - 8/25	46.7%	45.7%	Bush +1.0
FOX News (1,000 LV)	8/24 - 8/25	44%	45%	Kerry +1
Rasmussen (1,500 LV)	8/23- 8/25	47%	46%	Bush +1
LA Times (1,352 RV)	8/21 - 8/24	49%	46%	Bush +3
Click Here to See All Head-to-Head Polling Data

President George W. Bush - Job Approval Ratings
Poll	Date	Approve	Disapprove	Spread
RCP Average	8/15 - 8/25	50.6%	45.8%	+4.8%
FOX News	8/24 - 8/25	51%	43%	+8%
Rasmussen	8/23 - 8/25	52%	48%	+4%
LA Times	8/21 - 8/24	52%	47%	+5%
Battleground Poll	8/15 - 8/17	52%	46%	+5%
CBS News	8/15 - 8/18	46%	45%	+1%
Click Here to See All Job Approval Poll Data

[samtheman]

I just sent the swift vets another $100.

[Simmy2.5]

I heard on the radio (the radio station picks up CNN Headline news) about these polls, that yes, these polls is bad news for Kerry. Although they had a few things that they tried to put in some good news for Kerry, overall, it is bad news. And they even acknowledge that likely voters tend to be a positive for Republicans since they are better informed and more motivated. Really.

However, they also point out that, likely voters now, are not likely voters in November. Apparently Democrats have their ways of getting out their votes in November. This reasoning is why they don't always poll likely voters, and instead, poll registered voters. Of course, I guess that is true that the likely voters in November are different...after all, they don't poll dead people.

[hershey]

Alot of the key groups Kerry's bottoming out with are retired and living in...Florida. They have extended families who also vote. Heheheheheh.

[AmericanMade1776]

[AmericanMade1776]

kERRY CAMPAIGN TAKING A DIVE

[AmericanMade1776]

Kerry is Cracking

[rewrite]

Yeah, exept slooooower.

[Holicheese]

Key groups like people without jobs and illegal aliens.
Also, his support from dead people is through the roof!!

[Guillermo]

Yeah, good thing Bush chimed in on them too.

Here we have the two major candidates for President threatening to file a lawsuit to silence their critics.

Ain't the First Amendment grand?