Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, November 24, 2003
Poll says US voters evenly split on Bush
A year before the next presidential election, voters in the United States are about where they were in 2000 on the question of President Bush -- split down the middle -- according to a new poll by Time magazine and CNN, Reuters reported on Sunday.
A year before the next presidential election, voters in the United States are about where they were in 2000 on the question of President Bush -- split down the middle -- according to a new poll by Time magazine and CNN, Reuters reported on Sunday.
The poll showed that 47 percent were somewhat likely or very likely to vote to re-elect Bush and 48 percent were somewhat unlikely or very unlikely to do so.
Bush's overall job approval rating was at 52 percent, according to the poll, down from its peak of 89 percent in October 2001, just after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. His disapproval rating reached a new high, at 43 percent, the poll said.
Even with rising disapproval ratings, Bush still would defeat any of his possible Democratic opponents if the election was held this year. The poll of 1,507 people, conducted Nov. 18-19, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
The Democrat who would give Bush the toughest run for re-election would be retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, according to the survey's results. Even so, Bush would defeat Clark 49 percent to 42 percent, according to the poll.
Bush would best former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, the Democratic who has raised the most campaign money to challenge the president, by 59 percent to 39 percent of those polled.
Bush's handling of the U.S. economy and post-war Iraq are expected to be the two hottest issues of the 2004 presidential campaign.
(TIME's cover art portrays a photo illustration of U.S. President George W. Bush with a lipstick-kiss on his left cheek, and a bruised right-eye for its Dec.1, 2003 edition released on Nov.23, 2003.)