Posted on 05/03/2002 6:51:50 AM PDT by w1andsodidwe
SACRAMENTO -- If the 2000 presidential election was done over in California, George W. Bush would beat Al Gore by a seven-point margin, an astonishing turnaround in a state that the president lost by 12 points two years ago, according to a Field Poll released today.
So it makes sense that Democrats said they would prefer to have someone besides the former vice president carry their banner in the 2004 election. Of those surveyed, 45 percent said the party needs a new standard bearer, and 40 percent thought they should stick with Gore. Fifteen percent had no opinion.
The statewide poll of 705 registered voters has an error rate of 3.8 percentage points. The section dealing specifically with Democrats (312 were interviewed) has an error rate of 5.8 percent.
Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo said "there's no question" Bush continues to enjoy the surge in confidence that emerged in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and New York.
"He's viewed in a different light, and that continues," DiCamillo said.
Though the president's ap-proval ratings have slipped somewhat in the months since the attacks, he still has the support of 63 percent of California voters.
And, if put head to head in this state, he would beat Gore 48 percent to 41 percent.
"With a 63 percent approval rating, I'm surprised he isn't further ahead," DiCamillo said. "But it shows voters can rate him highly and still not be prepared to re-elect him.
"Still, to be ahead by seven points in a state he lost by 12, can't be bad news for the president," he said.
Of those surveyed, 52 percent were inclined to re-elect the president; 42 percent weren't; and 6 percent had no opinion.
In the Central Valley, 58 percent said they were inclined to give Bush a second term. In the Bay Area, 57 percent were against the idea.
And, in a break with conventional political wisdom, Bush finds favor among a majority of Latinos, 58 percent of whom said they'd support another term. Among whites, that number is 54 percent; among Asians, it's 43 percent; and among African-American's it's only 15 percent.
"I think the Latino support is an interesting number," DiCamillo said. "That's what the Republican Party in this state has been trying to do for eight years, and President Bush has done it. It does show potential for support there."
Latinos also provided Gore with his strongest support, with 58 percent saying he should run again. Only 29 percent of whites think so. When asked to choose between the two politicians, Latinos were evenly split -- 44 percent for each -- while whites favored Bush, Asians leaned slightly toward Gore 46 percent to 43 percent, and African-Americans overwhelmingly favored the former vice president 73 percent to 12 percent.
* To reach Capitol Bureau Chief Will Shuck, phone (916) 441-4078 or e-mail sacto@recordnet.com
But I thought Latinos were "bad ethnics" while Asians were "the model minority." Many on this site seem to think so!
Oops! Should read "California is now Bush country". Guess my fingers got tangled up like the President's tongue.
Too many are getting admitted to Berkley.
Now if only we can export it to New York, Massachusetts, Maine....
Dan
You sir are guilty of the bigotry of high expectations.
That statement certainly doesn't apply to San Francisco.
Classic remedial democrat poll error rate.
Mrs ASA Vet is Asian, and very smart, but yet she still married me.
Lucky for me that smart people don't always do smart things.
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