It's Kerry over Bush by 12 points (in MN) [View All]

[question everything]

http://www.startribune.com/stories/784/4702737.html


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Seven months before the election, Democratic Sen. John Kerry has a 12-point lead over Republican President Bush in Minnesota, according to the latest Star Tribune Minnesota Poll. The poll, conducted last week, showed Kerry leading Bush, 50 percent to 38 percent. Independent candidate Ralph Nader had backing from 2 percent of the state's likely voters.


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The poll of 562 likely voters was conducted during a week in which Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism adviser, dominated the national news with criticisms of the administration's handling of terrorism. One Bush adviser questioned the poll's validity, saying the sample included too many Democrats.

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The Bush campaign anticipates "a very close election," said Tracey Schmitt, spokeswoman for the Bush campaign. "We will continue to highlight the clear distinction between the president's pro-growth policies, which created 308,000 jobs in March alone, and John Kerry's job-destroying policies of higher taxes and $1.7 trillion in new government spending."

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More than half of those with incomes of $50,000 or more support Bush, while more than three in five of those with incomes of less than $50,000 support Kerry. Ideologically, Kerry has a larger proportion of his base than Bush does of his. Kerry has the support of 86 percent of liberals, while 71 percent of conservatives back Bush.

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The poll found that support moved dramatically during the four days of interviewing, perhaps reflecting a toll on Bush from Clarke's media interviews and testimony before the Sept. 11 commission. On Sunday and Monday, Kerry's lead was four points. But it ballooned on Tuesday and Wednesday, boosting him to the 12-point lead. That shows that there's a potential for large shifts in support as the campaigns ramp up their efforts closer to the election.

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