Poll: Gore trails Bush, third-party support drops on eve of Democratic convention
By Keating Holland/CNN
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Vice President Al Gore heads into this week's Democratic convention facing a 16-point deficit against Republican rival George W. Bush among likely voters, according to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. The Texas governor now polls in with 55 percent support in a four-way race, with just 39 percent for Gore. The vice president gets little credit for the economic record of the Clinton administration, and nearly half of all likely voters currently say there is no chance whatsoever that they would vote for him.
Support for third-party candidates is also dropping. Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, who received 6 percent support in June polls, is down to 2 percent. Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan registered less than 1 percent support in the current poll.
While Bush has been able to hold on to his GOP convention bounce, the Texas governor has not been able to build on it. The biggest change indicated in the poll is in the increasing importance of issues. Since the start of the year, and well into the primary season, most voters said that the candidate's personal qualities and leadership skills were more important to their vote than issues. Now a majority say that issues are more important -- and Gore does better among the growing ranks of issue-oriented voters, although not enough to win among them.
While President Clinton gets some credit for the economic improvements of the past few years, Gore does not share in those benefits. However, the vice president does hold one advantage over his boss -- only 38 percent of those surveyed said Gore puts his own interests ahead of the nation's, while nearly half said that Clinton did in a poll just before the 1996 Democratic convention.
The CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted August 11-12, 2000, consisted of interviews with 1,023 adult Americans, including 641 likely voters.
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
August 11-12
Suppose that the presidential election was being held today, and it included Al Gore and Joe Lieberman as the Democratic candidates, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney as the Republican candidates, Pat Buchanan and Ezola Foster as the Reform Party candidates, and Ralph Nader and Winona LaDuke, the Green Party candidates. Who would you vote for?
Now August 4-5
Bush 55% 54%
Gore 39 37
Nader 2 4
Buchanan * 1
Sampling error: +/-4% pts
Note: The asterisk for Buchanan reflects
less than half of 1 percent.
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
August 11-12
Suppose that the presidential election were being held today, and it included Al Gore and Joe Lieberman as the Democratic candidates, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney as the Republican candidates, who would you vote for?
Now August 4-5
Bush 56% 56%
Gore 40 40
Sampling error: +/-4% pts
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
August 11-12
Likely voters' intentions
Plan to vote for Gore 40%
Might vote for Gore 13
No chance of voting for Gore 47
Sampling error: +/-4% pts
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
August 11-12
Asked of likely voters: Which of the following do you think will be most important to you when you decide who to vote for -- where the candidates stand on issues that matter to you, or the leadership skills and vision that you think the candidates would have as president?
Now March
Issues 46% 38%
Character 36 50
Sampling error: +/-4% pts
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
August 11-12
Does Vice President Al Gore's ties with President Bill Clinton make you feel more favorably toward Gore or less favorably toward Gore, or do they have no effect on your view of him?
More favorable 7%
Less favorable 32
No effect 60
Sampling error: +/-3% pts
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
August 11-12
If the Democratic nomination for president were still being decided, would you rather see the Democrats nominate Al Gore or Bill Bradley for president?
Gore Bradley
Democrats 69% 18%
Independents 41 39
Republicans 25 54
Sampling error: +/-6% pts
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
August 11-12
If the Democratic nomination for president were still being decided and if Bill Clinton could run again, would you rather see the Democrats nominate Al Gore or Bill Clinton for president?
Gore Clinton
Democrats 48% 46%
Independents 52 29
Republicans 58 12
Sampling error: +/-6% pts
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
August 11-12
Please tell me whether you think Al Gore, if elected in November, would do a better job, about the same, or not as good a job as President Clinton in handling the job of president.
Economy Moral Leadership
Better 16% 58%
Worse 17 12
Same 60 27
Sampling error: +/-3% pts
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
August 11-12
Please indicate how much credit, if any, Bill Clinton deserves for the improvement in the state of the economy in the past few years -- a great deal, a fair amount, not much, or none at all?
Great deal 28%
Fair amount 40
Not much 20
None at all 11
Sampling error: +/-3% pts
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
August 11-12
Please indicate how much credit, if any, Al Gore deserves for the improvement in the state of the economy in the past few years -- a great deal, a fair amount, not much, or none at all?
Great deal 8%
Fair amount 37
Not much 33
None at all 17
Sampling error: +/-3% pts
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Sunday, August 13, 2000
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