Post-convention polls mixed on Kerry bounce

WASHINGTON - New polls gave a mixed picture on whether Democratic presidential nominee Senator John Kerry got a "bounce" from the party's convention, and a CNN-USA Today Gallup poll on Sunday even showed the Democratic ticket trailing the Republicans' among likely voters.

But a Newsweek poll released on Saturday said Kerry gained a four-point boost in the polls from the Democratic National Convention held last week in Boston.

Kerry had been hoping for a measurable surge in public approval, known as a bounce, which sometimes has given nominees a double-digit boost in the polls following their four days in the spotlight at the convention.

Democrats this year have said the closely divided electorate and relatively small number of undecided voters made a big bounce unlikely.

The CNN-USA Today poll of about 1,000 respondents conducted on Friday and on Saturday showed President Bush garnering 50 per cent to 47 per cent for Kerry among likely voters. Bush trailed Kerry among likely voters earlier in July, 47 per cent to 49 per cent.

Independent candidate Ralph Nader garnered 2 per cent.

In the Newsweek poll conducted on Thursday and on Friday, Kerry received 49 per cent of the vote to Bush's 42 per cent and 3 per cent for independent candidate Nader. In early July, Kerry led Bush 47 per cent to 44 per cent, with Nader at 3 per cent.

Without Nader in the race, Kerry led Bush in the new poll by 51 per cent to 45 per cent. The poll of about 1,000 registered voters had a 3 per cent margin of error.

Either way, Kerry said he wasn't paying attention.

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday" with his running mate, Senator John Edwards, he said he remembered the polls last year that showed his presidential bid staggering.

"Polls are not what's important. What's important is what we're going to do for America," Kerry said.

"I don't read polls. I really don't. They are going to go up and down. They're going to change," he added.

But a senior Kerry adviser was dismissive of CNN-USA Today poll's finding, saying it appeared to be an aberration. He cited the Newsweek poll that did show a bounce, with Kerry's image improving and a weakening in Bush's approval ratings.

"The CNN-USA Today poll does show that the race continues to be close, which everyone expected, and shows Kerry being increasingly trusted by voters on key issues," he said. "The poll does show a 'bump' for Kerry on trust on the issues and while Bush is stagnant or slipping on the economy, Iraq and terrorism, Kerry moved up during convention week."

Conventions are often the first time the general public tunes into a presidential race, and polls have shown many Americans are still unfamiliar with Kerry, a four-term US senator, decorated Vietnam War veteran and former prosecutor.

The CNN/USA Today Gallup poll had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Among registered voters, Kerry received 50 per cent to 47 per cent for Bush. That compared with 49 per cent for Kerry and 45 per cent for Bush earlier in the month.

- REUTERS