Poll shows McCain pulling ahead of Bush in South Carolina
February 3, 2000
Web posted at: 12:02 p.m. EST (1702 GMT)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Arizona Sen. John McCain, boosted by
his upset victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary, has
taken a narrow five-point lead over Texas Gov. George W. Bush in
South Carolina, according to a new state poll released Thursday.
The Zogby poll showed McCain, a former Vietnam POW, with 44
percent support among likely voters in the Feb. 19 South
Carolina primary and Bush with 39.3 percent. The lead was within
the extremes of the margin of error of 4.4 percent.
The survey, taken Wednesday -- one day after the New Hampshire
primary -- was conducted with 517 likely Republican voters.
Talkshow host Alan Keyes trailed the front-runners with just
2.1 percent while publisher Steve Forbes had 1.7 percent and
conservative activist Gary Bauer, 1.2 percent.
More than eight in 10 people surveyed had a favorable view
of McCain while only 9 percent had an unfavorable view. A
similar number had a favorable view of Bush with 12.9 percent
unfavorable.
"This is the power of New Hampshire that one day after
McCain's convincing victory, he has pulled into a small lead in
a state earmarked for Bush," said pollster John Zogby.
Seen as the underdog in the national campaign, McCain
whipped Bush in the first primary of 2000 with a surprising
18-point victory in New Hampshire.
Bush has predicted he will win in South Carolina.
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