Bush draws even with Kerry in Pa., poll shows
PETER JACKSON
Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. - President Bush has erased Sen. John Kerry's narrow lead in Pennsylvania only days before Tuesday's election, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.
Among likely voters, including people who have made up their minds or are leaning toward one candidate, Bush was backed by 49 percent compared with 47 percent for Kerry, according to the telephone survey of 909 voters conducted between Friday and Tuesday. Four percent were undecided.
The latest numbers reflected a tightening of the race since the last Quinnipiac poll, taken in mid-October, which showed Democrat Kerry taking a slight lead - 51 percent to the Republican incumbent's 46 percent.
"Bush has done a better job in the last week of firming up his base, Republicans and men, while taking away some women voters from Kerry," said Clay F. Richards of the university's polling institute. "Women are the key in this race and they are torn between their concerns about terrorism, which means voting for Bush, and worries about the economy, which means voting for Kerry."
The independent poll by the Connecticut-based university also showed Republican U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter maintaining a huge lead over his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Joe Hoeffel, in his bid for a fifth term.
Among likely voters, 55 percent favored Specter and 33 percent backed Hoeffel. Constitution Party candidate James Clymer garnered 7 percent and 5 percent were undecided. Libertarian Party candidate Betsy Summers was not included in the survey.
In the presidential contest, 50 percent or more said Bush would do a better job fighting terrorism and handling the situation in Iraq, while a similar proportion said Kerry would do better on the economy and health care.
The poll carries a sampling margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. |
