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Post-DNC polls mixed on whether Kerry 'bounced'
Voters continue to remain sharply divided just as the pollsters predicted that there would be little, if any, bounce in polls after the convention gathering.
The jury is out on whether presidential nominee John Kerry got a 'bounce' in the polls after the Democratic National Convention. Some surveys suggest he did; in others, he did not.
An ABC-Washington Post poll showed Kerry and running mate John Edwards slightly ahead among registered voters, with 50 percent to 44 percent for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Independent Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo were at 2 percent. Among likely voters, they were tied with Bush-Cheney in a three-way matchup.
A Newsweek poll taken Thursday and Friday gave Kerry-Edwards a narrow lead over Bush-Cheney, 49 percent to 42 percent, with 3 percent for Nader-Camejo. Kerry-Edwards and Bush-Cheney were essentially tied in a Newsweek poll in early July - 47 percent for Kerry-Edwards and 44 percent for Bush-Cheney with 3 percent for Nader-Camejo.
Two polls taken after Kerry's speech last Thursday showed little or no movement.
A CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll released Monday found Bush and Cheney slightly ahead among likely voters in a three-way matchup, with 51 percent to 45 percent for Kerry-Edwards and 2 percent for Nader-Camejo. The two major party tickets were tied among registered voters in a three-way race.
A CBS News poll released Monday found the Democratic ticket slightly ahead of Bush-Cheney, 48 percent to 43 percent with Nader at 3 percent. The three-way race in early July was tied with Kerry-Edwards at 45 percent, Bush-Cheney at 43 percent and Nader-Camejo at 5 percent.
Pollsters predicted before the convention that there would be little, if any, bounce in polls after the gathering. Voters are sharply divided and paying close attention to the race, limiting any post-convention boost in the polls.
The polls found Kerry had solidified his support. In the ABC-Post poll, for example, the share of Kerry supporters who are "strongly" behind him increased to 85 percent, from 72 percent before last week's convention.
The ABC-Post poll of 940 registered voters taken Friday through Sunday has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The Newsweek poll of 1,010 registered voters was taken Thursday and Friday and the CBS poll of 881 registered voters was taken Friday Saturday and Sunday, both with margins of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll of 1,129 likely voters was taken Friday through Sunday and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.