BOSTON -- Democrat Howard Dean holds a 13-point lead over John Kerry in New Hampshire, according to poll released Sunday, the latest to show the former Vermont governor ahead in a state that has a presidential primary Jan. 27.
After weeks of attacks by rivals and the entrance of retired Gen. Wesley Clark into the race, Dean is maintaining a double-digit lead in most of the surveys.
Dean drew support from 37 percent of those surveyed for the Boston Globe/WBZ, while Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, had the backing of 24 percent. Dean had a 12-point lead over Kerry in the same poll a month ago.
Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina was backed by 9 percent, Clark 8 percent and Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri 7 percent. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut had the backing of 5 percent, Dennis Kucinich was at 3 percent, and Carol Moseley Braun and Al Sharpton had less than 1 percent. The poll found that 7 percent were undecided or refused to answer.
When asked which candidate would be the strongest against President Bush, more than a third, 35 percent, said Dean -- while 20 percent said Kerry.
The poll, by KRC/Communications Research, was conducted Oct. 20 to Oct. 22 of 400 Democratic and independent voters who could cast ballots in the New Hampshire primary. It had a sampling margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
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