ABC poll showed Bush still ahead: Kerry Won Debate According to Three Instant Polls of Viewers
Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic challenger John Kerry performed better than President George W. Bush in the first presidential debate according to instant polls done by Gallup, ABC News and CBS News.
Fifty-three percent of the 613 registered voters who watched the debate said Kerry did better, according to a poll by Gallup for CNN and USA Today. Thirty-seven percent said Bush did the best job. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
The 90-minute debate at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, was the first of three scheduled meetings between the two candidates. Kerry said Bush's decision to invade Iraq diverted attention ``from the real war on terror.'' Bush countered that Kerry is sending mixed messages to the world after voting to authorize the use of force in Iraq.
A poll by ABC found that 45 percent of 531 registered voters surveyed who watched the debates said Kerry did a better job, 36 percent said Bush did better and 17 percent said they tied.
CBS's survey found that 43 percent of 200 uncommitted voters who watched said Kerry won, 28 percent said Bush was the winner and 29 percent said they tied. CBS said the survey was among voters who indicated they are undecided or who said they have a preference and might change their mind. The margin of error is plus or minus 7 percentage points, CBS said.
Forty-six percent of those polled by the Washington-based Gallup organization said they had a more favorable opinion of Kerry after the debate compared with 21 percent for Bush. Sixty percent said Kerry expressed himself more clearly than Bush, while 48 percent said Bush was more likeable.
Gallup cautioned that instant polls don't reflect the views of all Americans, only those who watched the debate.
Didn't Change Minds
The debate did not immediately change many minds, ABC said, saying Bush's support was 50 percent among viewers before the debate and 51 percent after it; Kerry's support was 46 percent before, 47 percent after. Independent candidate Ralph Nader had 1 percent before and less than that after.
The instant poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points, ABC News said.
A national telephone poll of 810 likely voters conducted Sept. 23-26 by the Washington Post and ABC News showed Bush leads Kerry, a four-term Massachusetts senator, 51 percent to 45, narrowing from a Sept. 6-8 survey that found Bush ahead by 9 percentage points.
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