Poll: Dean widens lead over Kerry

[sfecap]

Dean affirms his lead, new poll finds

By Anne E. Kornblut, Globe Staff, 10/26/2003

Howard Dean is holding firmly to his lead in the New Hampshire primary, largely untouched by the high-profile entry of retired Army General Wesley K. Clark into the race or by targeted attacks from other candidates, according to a poll of independent and Democratic voters conducted last week.

Dean, the former governor of Vermont, drew support from 37 percent of those surveyed -- a 13-point lead over the next closest candidate, Massachusetts Senator John F. Kerry, who garnered 24 percent. The other seven contenders, including Clark, remained far behind, with support in single-digit figures, according to the Boston Globe/WBZ poll conducted by KRC Communications Research.

Perhaps most notably, Dean surged into the lead as the Democrat considered most able to beat President Bush, with 35 percent of respondents choosing him as the strongest general election candidate. Twenty percent said the same for Kerry -- a sharp drop from a Globe poll taken six weeks earlier that found Kerry and Dean all but tied on the same question.

"I think Democrats want a winner at all costs, and Kerry has underperformed in some Democratic primary voters' view," Jennifer Donahue, senior adviser for political affairs at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. "They will go with whoever they think can beat Bush, and right now Dean has come across in a more clear and convincing fashion than Kerry. That doesn't mean Kerry can't do it, but so far they have found in Dean someone they feel confident in."

(more)

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/polls/articles/2003/10/26/dean_affirms_his_lead_new_poll_finds/

[mandyky]

1. Whew, feels good to exhale!

I can now candidly admit I was a tad worried about Clark entering the race, on some levels. I am a Deaniac to the bitter end, but I was afraid the in-fighting we have seen here on the boards were going to chase off potential Dean supporters.

Thank goodness people are seeing Dean for who he is, not what his distractors are trying to suggest he is.

[readmylips]

2. My Heart Belongs to Dr. Dean...

Always!

No Clarks for me.

[Demobrat]

6. Diehard Deanie here too.

The man spoke for me when everybody else was either voting for the war or gushing about W's "resolve". I'm sticking with the guy who got me through the dark days, no matter what.

[alexwcovington]

3. Now let's not be unfair

This is good news for Dean, but this is hardly the end of the line. There's still two months and change before Iowa and New Hampshire. Anything can happen.

Dean's poll numbers can widen. :)

[Catch22Dem]

5. Not only that

but winning Iowa and NH don't automatically = nomination. I say, be afraid of Clark or Kerry because whoever finishes in the top 3 can still easily win the nomination.

[dfong63]

4. amazing, and outstanding

[erichc]

7. About Dean

Right now I'm leaning towards Gephardt or Kerry-

I'd like to share something I've read about Dean. There are a lot of people who feel he would alienate too many culturally and would cost Democrats important swing states such as Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, West Virgina, etc. They feel the Republicans will do to him what they did to Michael Dukakis - paint him as this big cultural liberal. Dean is actually fairly moderate on fiscally

[mandyky]

8. Dean's stance on guns

would help him in the very states you mention.

[cindyw]

9. Yeah, but why should the party compromise their values that much

and embrace his gun stance. The party would have to publicly embrace this for it to make a difference in those states. I for one would be really angry if the party embraced the idea of leaving gun laws to the states.

And even if it helped in the south, it would kill him in states with urban areas. It may not make a difference in the primary because of the new faster process. But in a longer general, this will make a difference.

[dsc]

10. The only states that anyone honestly thinks gun control helps is

are California, New Jersey,New YOrk and Massachusetts. Gore won all of those by huge margins. Do you seriously think Dean would lose those?

[cindyw]

12. Did you see what just happened in California?

Ahhhnold is my new governor. Now tell me that the people of my state aren't stupid enough to vote for Bush. People here spend a massive amount of time in their car and all there is to listen to is repub puke radio. Even the most liberal gets brain washed when you listen to it enough.

They would spin the abandoning as just another sign of a castrated, weakening party.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

11. Yowza!

Another great poll for Dean!

I know it's still "early" (but not much longer...), but this is great.

Dean is also starting to lose that "unelectable" label. How can someone who generates so much excitement and activism be unelectable? Go Dean!