MOYNIHAN IS POISED TO ENDORSE BRADLEY
By Brian Blomquis and Frederick U. Dicker
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Bill Bradley's Democratic presidential bid will get a big boost - Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan's endorsement - sources said yesterday, just as a third poll showed Bradley has gained ground on Vice President Al Gore.
The support of Moynihan, New York's top elected Democrat, could help push Bradley ahead of Gore.
Sources say Moynihan's endorsement of Bradley is expected "very soon, possibly this week."
"At this particular moment, there is no particular announcement date," said Moynihan's top aide, Tony Bullock.
Bradley's top strategist, Anita Dunn, said, "I think that Sen. Moynihan is going to make his preferences known on his own timetable."
The Marist College survey released yesterday found Bradley dead even with Gore, 42-42. The poll shows that Bradley, a former New York Knick and U.S. senator from New Jersey, succeeded in closing what was once a whopping 17-percentage-point lead for the vice president.
The Marist poll, of 717 registered New York voters last Tuesday and Wednesday, also found that handsome Hollywood movie star Warren Beatty might attract 7 percent of the Democratic primary vote if he joins the presidential race.
But the Gore-Bradley contest would remain deadlocked, within the poll's margin of error, at 40 percent for Gore and 38 percent for Bradley, even with Beatty in the race.
The new poll also found that neither Patrick Buchanan nor Donald Trump would garner a sizable New York vote if either becomes a Reform Party candidate.
New York's presidential primary is March 7, early enough that it could sway the nomination.
The new poll confirmed earlier surveys showing that Bradley is a stronger candidate than Gore against GOP front-runner George W. Bush. Bradley led Bush, 49-39, while Bush led Gore, 46-44, but was within the margin of error, meaning the Gore-Bush match is statistically even.
The Marist poll is in line with a Quinnipiac College poll released Wednesday, which showed Bradley closing an 18-point gap and virtually tying Gore, 40-42, within the margin of error. And they echo the finding of a Post poll by Zogby International, which was released last Monday.
The latest poll showed that Texas Gov. Bush is the runaway favorite among New York Republicans, with 53 percent of the GOP vote.
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