Poll Shows Kerry Leading Bush, Dean Drops Out of White House Race

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 18, 2004   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Poll Shows Kerry Leading Bush, Dean Drops Out of White House Race

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 18, 2004

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A new poll shows pro-abortion Massachusetts senator John Kerry (D), fresh from his win in Wisconsin, with a sizable lead over President Bush, who has the support of pro-life groups. Meanwhile, former Vermont governor Howard Dean, who backs abortion, has dropped out of the presidential race.

In a head-to-head matchup between Kerry and Bush, a new poll sponsored by USA Today, CNN and Gallup reveals that 55 percent of likely voters say they prefer Kerry while only 43 percent back Bush. A poll conducted earlier in February by the same group found Bush ahead 49-48 percent.

However, Bush supporters say they are not worried about the numbers, mostly because they come at a time when the Democratic presidential candidates are getting considerable news coverage and are collectively attacking the president.

"This is the way the political season works," Mary Matalin, a Bush campaign adviser, told USA Today earlier this month. "All of these problems are manageable."

When all registered voters were tabulated, Kerry’s lead over the president dropped to 51-46 percent.

However, other polls show Bush faring better against Kerry, who has an abominable voting record in the Senate on pro-life issues.

The latest Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll shows Bush having a 48-45 percent advantage over Kerry.

A previous Rasmussen poll found that President Bush gains a four-point advantage over likely Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry because of his pro-life views on abortion.

When asked about the issue of abortion, 43 percent of respondents said they trust President Bush to handle abortion properly while only 39 percent say they trust Massachusetts senator John Kerry.

Another poll released Wednesday, conducted by Zogby International, shows that while Kerry would barely win (46-45) the states won by Al Gore in 2000, Bush would handily win the states he won in the last election by a 51-39 percentage margin.

Meanwhile, Gov. Howard Dean says he will drop out of the presidential race and instead focus on creating a semiformal effort to represent the liberal Democratic voices of those who supported his failed bid for the presidency.

"I am no longer actively pursuing the presidency" Dean said during a televised speech in front of supporters in Vermont.

Dean told the group that he would do what he could to help the Democratic party beat Bush in November.