WASHINGTON – President Bush has opened a slight lead over John Kerry while regaining the confidence of some voters on the economy and other domestic issues, according to an Associated Press poll with a silver lining for Democrats.
The addition of Sen. John Edwards to Kerry’s ticket appears to have helped the Democrat in the South and among low-income voters – a result the Massachusetts senator had hoped for when he selected the North Carolina populist over more seasoned politicians.
“I’m more impressed with Kerry now that he chose Edwards,” said Republican voter Robin Smith, 45, a teacher from Summerville, S.C. “I look at Kerry and I don’t trust him, but he’s got Edwards, who’s more middle-of-the-road, a strong speaker, more able to reach the common man.”
The poll found Bush slightly leading Kerry 49 percent to 45 percent with independent candidate Ralph Nader at 3 percent. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. A month ago, the Bush-Kerry matchup was tied and Nader had 6 percent.
The three-day survey began Monday, the day before Kerry tapped Edwards as his running mate, and asked registered voters about the newly minted ticket on Tuesday and Wednesday. Half supported the Republican tandem of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney while 46 percent backed the Kerry-Edwards ticket, just within that question’s margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
Troubling signs for the incumbent remain, however, from the number of voters who believe the country is on the wrong track (56 percent) to his anemic, but improving, job approval numbers. Bush’s overall approval rating hit 50 percent for the first time since January, according to the poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs.
A month ago, the poll showed a hypothetical Kerry-Edwards ticket at 47 percent and Bush-Cheney at 44 percent, essentially a tie.
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