Poll Shows John Kerry Leading President Bush by 7 Percent
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 10, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A new poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times shows Massachusetts senator John Kerry running ahead of President George W. Bush, even though voters say the likely Democratic nominee flip-flops on issues more so than the president.
According to the poll, Kerry, who backs abortion, leads pro-life President Bush by a 7-point margin, 51 percent to 44 percent. The poll only surveyed registered voters and polls of likely voters show a closer race.
If presidential candidate Ralph Nader is added to the equation, Kerry’s lead drops by one point, to 48 for Kerry and 42 percent for Bush.
A Zogby International poll released yesterday showed Kerry with only a two point lead, with in the margin of error. In a poll taken two weeks ago, Zogby said, Kerry was ahead by 5 points.
But pollster John Zogby said both polls showed the president’s support at 42 percent, the lowest of his presidency. The change in Kerry’s lead had more to do with people examining Kerry, rather than Bush regaining the ground he’s lost.
"I think basically what it’s done is stopped the downward spiral," Zogby told Newsday. "But it’s no runs, no hits, no errors. He didn’t hit a home run or a triple. He didn’t get anything positive. … He’s still at 42 percent, and that’s not good."
Meanwhile, the latest Gallup poll, conducted last Thursday through Sunday, shows Bush trailing Kerry by six percent.
The good news for Bush is that he is holding his own in key battleground states. The 2000 election proved that Bush could lose the poplar vote while maintaining the electoral vote.
Polls conducted by the Los Angeles Times in the key states of Ohio, Missouri and Wisconsin show Bush in better shape politically than he is nationwide.
Bush has a 48 to 42 percent lead over Kerry in Missouri, and 48%-37% when Nader is included. In Ohio, Kerry leads by only one point, 46-45 percent, and has a three point lead with Nader added. In Wisconsin, Kerry and Bush draw 44% each and Bush has a 2 point lead when Nader is factored in.
The Los Angeles newspaper’s poll shows that voters still don’t know enough about Kerry to decide whether he would make a better president. Approximately one-third of those polled indicated that. However, by 56 percent to 16 percent, voters said Bush was "too ideological and stubborn.”
But when asked who flip-flopped on issues more, voters named Kerry by a 2-1 margin.
