Bush 'back in the running'
2004-08-26 23:37
Los Angeles - United States President George W Bush rose to the top of the heap in the race for the White House for the first time in several weeks, according to a poll published in Thursday's Los Angeles Times.
Yet, he held only a slight lead on Democratic challenger John Kerry, garnering 49% of the vote, against Kerry's 46%. Five percent of respondents abstained.
When independent candidate Ralph Nader was added to the fray, Bush held 47% of the vote, compared with 44% for Kerry, while Nader received 3%. The poll has a three-percentage-point margin of error.
In a July Los Angeles Times poll, Kerry held 48% of the vote, against Bush's 46%.
The Times blamed televised attack ads, accusing Kerry of embellishing or even lying about his Vietnam War experiences, for his dip in the poll.
The August 21-24 survey of 1 597 adults comes just ahead of the four-day Republican national convention, which opens on Monday in New York.
- AFP