Bush rating high, beats Democrats in poll
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Half of Illinois voters think President Bush is doing a good job and he leads all comers seeking to replace him, a poll released Friday shows.
The Copley News Service poll of 625 registered voters found 49 percent of respondents saying Bush is doing an excellent or good job. Twenty-seven percent said he's doing fairly well, 23 percent said "poor," with 1 percent undecided.
State Republican Party spokesman Jason Gerwig said the poll numbers were encouraging for Bush, especially "for a state that people have written off as Democratic."
But Democrats found reason for optimism, too.
The poll, for instance, found that only 9 percent of voters failed to recognize former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's name. He had a 20 percent favorable rating, 31 percent unfavorable and 40 percent neutral.
Spokesman Kevin Conlon argued that Dean's name recognition is already high in a state where he hasn't been campaigning. "We're very confident that when the voters of Illinois get to know him more and more, he will do even better," Conlon said.
Dean is scheduled to make an appearance in Springfield on Saturday.
Mason-Dixon Polling and Research conducted the survey Monday through Wednesday. It has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
Pollster Brad Coker said the results are likely to change dramatically, given the presidential election is 10 months away and Illinois' primary isn't until March 16. "It's changing on a daily basis," he said.
The poll also shows the president victorious in hypothetical head-to-head competitions with five leading Democrats.
His margins range from 4 percent over U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt and Sen. Joseph Lieberman to 9 percent over Dean and former Army Gen. Wesley Clark.
The poll did not consider four other Democratic candidates who are running behind in polls.
mercurynews.com |
