Kerry Issue Advantage Ebbs As Voter Opinion Fluctuates
A week's worth of criticism of his pre-Sept. 11 record on terrorism has had little impact on President Bush's support among voters. He is now running even with Sen. John Kerry in a head-to-head match-up among registered voters (47% Kerry-46% Bush) after trailing Kerry by 52%-43% in mid-March.
Voter opinions have been fluid in this early stage of the presidential contest, but Bush has held his own against Kerry with regard to personal qualities, while the Massachusetts senator has lost support on key issues like health care and jobs. And on the central question of which candidate would do the best job of defending the country against future terrorist attacks, Bush continues to lead Kerry by a wide margin (53%-29%).
The latest national survey of 1,501 Americans by the Pew Research Center, conducted March 22-28, finds Bush's job approval ratings still sub-par (47% approve and 44% disapprove). Kerry's strength continues to be on domestic issues, including health care, jobs and the economy, but voters' confidence in Kerry has slipped, not grown, over the past week. Today, Bush and Kerry run virtually even on the question of who can best improve economic conditions (44% Kerry, 39% Bush). Kerry held a sizable advantage on this issue as recently as two weeks ago.
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