Poll: Bush lead over Kerry in Kentucky slips but still strong

[Doosh]

Poll: Bush lead over Kerry in Kentucky slips but still strong

Associated Press


LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kentuckians' opinions of President Bush's handling of the situation in Iraq fell in a new poll, which also shows his lead over U.S. Sen. John Kerry in the presidential race, while narrowing, is still strong.

The Bluegrass Poll, conducted by The Courier-Journal and published Saturday, recorded a significant decline in opinions about the president on matters involving Iraq.

In February, Kentuckians endorsed Bush's handling of the situation in Iraq, with 58 percent approving and 40 percent disapproving. But the latest poll was a statistical dead heat, with 50 percent approving and 46 percent disapproving.

The questions about Bush's performance surveyed 811 Kentucky adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

The May 5-11 survey found that Bush's lead over Kerry among Kentuckians who said they were likely to vote in the Nov. 2 election fell to 12 percentage points, from 17 points in February. Bush was the choice of 52 percent, while 40 percent picked Kerry. That portion of the poll questioned 665 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.


http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/local/8672865...

[freetobegay]

1. Kentuckians will wake up & smell the corn by election day

That I can promise you.

[Doosh]

2. Kerry's strength in Ohio is starting to seep into Kentucky

[freetobegay]

3. I have strong ties in S.E. Kentucky

People that were tripping over each other in 2000 to vote for Bush, Are now tripping over each other to get rid of the pig!

[Hokie]

4. If Bush loses in KY he is toast

That would be really sweet.

[fizzana]

5. If it's close in Kentucky, he's toast.

n/t

[ACK]

6. People say the South is hopeless... but look at Utah

The margins are much higher in favor of the fascists. We can win some of the close Southern states much easier than we can turn the solid west away from them.

Just IMHO and all that ....

[fizzana]

7. Also if races in the South get a lot closer Bush will have to spend

time and money in states he previously took for granted. That can't do him any good.

[jdsmith]

8. National politicians can help themselves by learning cultural geograph

Kentucky stops being "the South" about twenty miles south of Lexington.

Southeastern Kentucky is the STRANGE South--fiercely individualistic.

[MAlibdem]

10. Utah isn't a good indicator of its region

Nevada is trending Dem, as is CO, NM, and AZ.

Utah is just home to the Mormon church, which is thoroughly republican.

The South is somewhat harder, but I agree that it is winnable.

[Kathleen04]

12. Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming

are solid red states. Bush beat Gore in all of those by approx. 30%. Areas of the south are definately more in play than those 3.

Kentucky should be one of the states that Kerry makes an effort in..Clinton won the state twice, so if the conditions are right, it will go blue.

[utopian]

9. Clinton took Kentucky both times

So it's perfectly plausible that Kerry takes it too.

In addition, Kentucky has a strong military tradition. When I taught at UK, I had a lot of gulf war vets in my freshman writing courses. People there must be seething about Shrub's clusterfuck of a war.

[fujiyama]

11. Well

Kentucky really was never considered a swing state so it's good news to know that Bush's support even in such places is eroding.

There are states we have a better chance winning, so I doubt the state is very high on the list of priorities.

[PopSixSquish]

13. Kentucky Has a Strong Democratic Tradition

it's only in the past 15-20 years that it's trended Republican just as other Southern states have due to the neo-conservative mantra of God, Gays and Guns.

But Clinton won it in 1992 and there is still a fairly strong Demo machine on the local levels.

If Ohio, WV, Ill and MO go to the Democrats, there is a very good chance KY will go or be very close and that could also help down ticket.

Both Clark and Edwards would be effective campaigners for Kerry here regardless if they're on the ticket or not. KY likes the military and they also like the self-made, pull yourselves up by the bootstraps story.

And anything that makes * spend money in a "safe" state helps someplace else.