Kerry's edge on Bush in California narrows
By Bill Ainsworth
STAFF WRITER
October 29, 2004
SACRAMENTO – Democrat John Kerry's lead over President Bush has narrowed to seven points among likely California voters, while Sen. Barbara Boxer has increased her lead over Republican Bill Jones to 19 points, according to the latest Field Poll.
Advertisement
The nonpartisan poll showed that the Democratic ticket of Kerry and John Edwards has support from 49 percent of likely voters, while Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are favored by 42 percent. Nine percent are undecided.
Kerry's advantage over Bush has diminished from a peak in May, when he held a lead of 15 points over the president.
"It's not a toss-up, but it's now single digits for Kerry," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll.
DiCamillo said the presidential race has narrowed because Bush has firmed up his support in the interior of California. Bush has a lead of 21 points in the Central Valley and 20 points in the Inland Empire, which includes Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
In San Diego and Orange counties, Bush leads Kerry 53 percent to 40 percent.
Kerry has a huge lead over the president in Los Angeles County, 58 percent to 34 percent, and in the San Francisco Bay Area, 63 percent to 28 percent.
According to the poll, 52 percent of voters have a favorable view of Kerry, while 41 percent have a negative image. By comparison, 49 percent of voters have a negative image of Bush, while 46 percent view him favorably.
The nearly invisible Senate race, meanwhile, continues to be lopsided.
The poll showed Boxer, a Democrat, with 53 percent and Jones, the Republican nominee, with 34 percent.
Today, Boxer plans to campaign at Democratic Party headquarters in San Diego, while Jones has campaign events planned for Los Angeles and Orange counties.
The survey, based on interviews with 1,086 likely voters, was conducted between Oct. 21 and Wednesday. It has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.
»Next Story»
