Bush, Kerry even in Nevada, poll finds

President Bush and his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, are in a statistical dead heat in Nevada, considered a battleground state in the race for the presidency. The election is Nov. 2.

A poll of 600 likely voters conducted statewide Aug. 14-17 showed 44 percent favored Bush, 42 percent favored Kerry and 2 percent favored independent Ralph Nader. The survey, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, was conducted by Research 2000 for the Reno Gazette-Journal and News 4.

“That state is clearly up for grabs,” pollster Del Ali said. “It is a true tossup.”

The poll also showed a jump in undecided voters in Northern Nevada, with both candidates losing support compared with an RGJ/News 4 poll conducted in June. The latest poll showed 14 percent of respondents in Northern Nevada were undecided, compared with 7 percent in the June poll.

“There is an anxiety,” Ali said. “I don’t think people feel things are necessarily on the right track, and they are looking for some change. But the change has to be acceptable. John Kerry has to prove he is acceptable.”

Polling Data
If the 2004 presidential election were held today, would you vote for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, the Republicans, John Kerry and John Edwards, the Democrats, or Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo, the independents?

• Bush / Cheney (R) : 48%
• Kerry / Edwards (D) : 45%
• Nader / Camejo (I) : 2%
• Unsure : 12%

Methodology: Interviews to 600 likely Nevada voters, conducted from Aug. 14 to Aug. 17, 2004. Margin of error is 4 per cent.

the Reno Gazette-Journal