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This week, 23
percent of registered voters say they haven’t made up their mind on how to
vote, compared with 30 percent last week.
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(The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus four points.) Among
likely voters, Gore’s margin stands at 14 points (52 percent to 38 percent
for Bush). Third-party candidates Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan draw three
and two percent, respectively.
With the
Olympics and baseball’s upcoming World Series likely to push the
presidential campaign out of the media spotlight, the heated campaigning
of recent weeks may already have begun to crystallize voters’ opinions of
the candidates.
This week, 23 percent of registered
voters say they haven’t made up their mind on how to vote, compared with
30 percent last week.
Gore’s advantage
extends across a wide swath of demographic groups, but his support remains
strongest among women, minorities and older Americans. The vice president
leads among women, 55 percent to 35 percent. He is statistically tied with
Bush among men, 44 percent to 41 percent. Minorities, including Hispanics,
African-Americans, Asians and others, prefer Gore by a margin of 69
percent to 15 percent. And among voters aged 50 and older, Gore leads 53
percent to 38 percent. Gore also leads among college-educated voters (48
percent to 38 percent) as well as those with high school education or less
(50 percent to 36 percent).
The increasingly
negative tone of the campaigning may also be shifting perceptions of the
candidates’ honesty. .gif)
 Barometer: What's Hot and What's Not in
Campaign 2000
Gore
is described as “honest and ethical” by 57 percent of those polled this
week, down from the 61 percent who said the same of him last week. The
percentage who see Bush as honest and ethical has also fallen, from 60
percent in late August and 56 percent last week down to 53 percent this
week. |
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As the
Republican’s campaign struggles to right itself and retake the offensive,
perceptions of Bush’s leadership have been hurt too. This week, 59 percent
of voters say the Texas governor has “strong leadership qualities,”
compared with 65 percent last week and 72 percent following the Republican
National Convention in early August.
The
NEWSWEEK poll of 853 registered voters was conducted by Princeton Survey
Research Associates. Of those voters, 580 identified themselves as likely
voters.
©
2000 Newsweek, Inc.
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Mr. Rap Goes to
Washington
