Newsweek Poll Details: Kerry Most Electable, Beats Bush, 74% Dem Favorable

[WiseMen]

This is a Newsweek special Web report. Looks like the more of Kerry the voter sees the more they like.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4049942

Newsweek Poll:
And They're Off

Kerry surges to the head of the pack, beating even Bush in a hypothetical election. But the Democratic horserace is still far from over

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Overall, 52 percent of those polled by NEWSWEEK say they would not like to see Bush serve a second term, compared to 44 percent who want to see him win again in November. As a result, Kerry is enjoying a marginal advantage over Bush, a first for the poll. Forty-nine percent of registered voters chose Kerry, compared to 46 percent who re-elected Bush. In fact, all Democrats are polling better against Bush, perhaps due to increased media attention to their primary horserace: Clark gets 47 percent of voters’ choice compared to 48 percent from Bush; Edwards has 46 percent compared to Bush’s 49; Leiberman wins 45 percent versus Bush’s 49 percent; and Dean fares the worst with 45 percent of their votes to Bush’s 50 percent.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kerry appears to Democrats to be most electable out of the bunch, with 48 percent believing he was a good chance at defeating Bush (32 percent believe he has at least some chance). Before Iowa, 38 percent of registered Democrats thought Dean had a good shot against Bush, but that figure has dropped to 26 percent after Iowa. Electability matters to voters in choosing a candidate—although more (53 percent) say they would support a candidate who reflects their own views, 39 percent do want someone who will realistically end up supplanting Bush.

[CrazyRP]

1. Wow!!

I thought we were way behind the polls of theoretical match ups. I guess one of the advantages of having 8 candidates is that they suck up a lot of the news coverage!

[dusty64]

2. Its amazing what

can happen when the media gives the Democrats a voice. Imagine what could happen if they would only report the actual TRUTH, we'd have an end to our nightmare in about a month as our regime would be thrown in prison where they belong.

[zoeyfong]

3. Pundits say kerry most electable; therefore he will lose.

As far as what the polls say, dean was ahead almost everywhere until just a couple weeks ago. What's going on? could it be that democrats don't know what they want, and are easily led by "popular wisdom?" And the makers of popular wisdom are the corporate media. They tore down dean for things that no other candidate, let alone bush, would have been criticized for. Kerry has been virtually unscathed for the last several months, except for the "boring" charge. Wait until he becomes the nominee and the corporate media turns its sites on him.

[jeter]

23. It's primary season

Polls are very fluid during this time. That's why the primaries are so important.

I knew this would happen. Who ever got off to a strong start would poll well nationwide. Even against Bush.

Expect to have a big lead when this is finally over and a nominee is chosen.

[Nicholas_J]

25. By age groupings

Those over 40 will go for electability over isse driven campaigns 2 to one. IF you looks at the breakdowns of the latest Zogby and ARG polls, they show that the polled voters choose electability in a cnadidate over issues in a candidates platflrm 2 to 1.

Electability is the one issue that is of grteatest impotrance to the largest number of Democartic and Independent voters.

[Nicholas_J]

27. Isnt pundits who are saying Kerry is most electable

It is voters who are being polled.

Electability is a far greater concern of voters than issues in every polls you see a breakdown in.

[Skwmom]

4. With the corporate media cheering him on what do you expect?

They did the same for Dean before. Remember all the polls showing Dean the most electable?

[WiseMen]

6. No all the polls did not. Rather the opposite.

For most of last year all the match-ups showed Dean very weak.

[Bombtrack]

5. not at all anti-Kerry, but national head-to-heads don't prove electability

at least between the frontrunners. None of them have anywhere near the familiarity on issues or character or anything else as Bush does and will down the road.

Is Kerry more electable than Dean? Yes, probably 95 percent of strategists and pollsters of any degree of esteem would agree with that, but not so when compared to Clark and Edwards.

A strong case can be made that they'd have a better shot at some key red states

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. There Are Three Electable Democrats In This Race

Kerry, Edwards, and Clark...

And they all would employ different Electoral College strategies...

Anybody who argues differently is whistling past the graveyard...

[meow mix]

7. but i dont like his cheap sleazy attacks. Clark or Dean plz

and i dont like the thought of having to vote for him..grr
pretty lame when a guy like this is the frontrunner,
i just hope he gets put to sleep on super-tuesday.

Clark or Dean in 2004 plzz! =)

[XanaDUer]

12. "cheap sleazy attacks" Cough!

Dean's attributing Bob Kerrey's vote to John Kerry is the apex of Cheap and Sleazy.

[Eric J in MN]

8. The Republicans have yet to denounce Kerry as a Massachusetts liberal who

The Republicans have yet to denounce Kerry as a Massachusetts liberal who wants to raise taxes.

[lancdem]

19. I'm not sure that will work this time

Since Bush is the one who produced a record deficit, not a "tax-and-spend liberal." I think the liberal canard won't carry as much weight with swing voters and the Rove machine thinks.

[osaMABUSh]

9. Awesome! The coolest thing is that people 'think' Bush will win

but asked who will they vote for or does * deserve a second term, the answer is on our side.

It boils down to this for some reason people 'think' Bush will win (why? incumbency, SOTU, 9/11, campaign $$$, media bias, touch screen voting) but when asked who will they vote for it is increasingly not Bush.

And isn't that what matters in polls? Who will you vote for not who do you think will win.

This thinking keeps Dems as the underdog - and you know everybody loves an Underdog.

[59millionmorons]

10. It's all about name recognition

Go Kerry Go.

[californiahippie]

13. Interesting

I am so glad I found this board, I am obsessed with the primaries and have no one IRL who really wants to talk about them or who watches all the debates and speeches.
I have things I like and dislike about most of the candidates running, although I am shy of Dean at this point because I really want to back someone who will beat Bush.
These polls are very encouraging, I do hope to see Clark slide up in the polls, although we don't see eye to eye on some things I think he would do well with independents and is very electable.
And even though I am a peace lovin hippie I appreciate how dedicated he has been to our country.

[oasis]

29. Welcome to DU californiahippie.

:hippie:

[farmbo]

14. Newsweak: the same rag which brought us "Doubts About Dean"

With the close- cropped, eerie -looking cover photo, which "proved" the thesis of their hard- hitting journalistic HATCHET JOB!

Now they're running a love letter for Kerry.

Duh?!

[Nicholas_J]

26. The same Newsweek

that was praising Dean in July.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

15. Clark, Kerry, and Edwards are our GREAT HOPE to take back...

America next year.

Kerry/Edwards
Kerry/Clark
Edwards/Clark

[cavebat2000]

16. IM sorry

I just dont believe that

[lancdem]

20. Post-Iowa bounce

hardly a surprise at all.

[mitchum]

17. Knock him out, John!

[Killarney]

18. Fantastic! n/t

[HFishbine]

21. The uninformed voter

Also from this poll:

26% think Bush is liberal.

78% feel it is likely Bush will win reelection.

[WiseMen]

22. Quite Right. Too bad Election is not today.

[Nicholas_J]

28. In 2000

same thing happend. Gore was behind two weeks before botyh Iowa and New Hampshire and he took both and was in the lead by mid week of the week before. In every nomination as far back as Kennedy, whoever was in the lead onm friday beforre each vote, won the primary or caucus.

[NWHarkness]

24. 26% think Bush is a liberal

That's great news, it means that he is losing the far right edge of his base.

[adamrsilva]

30. Kerry leads by 3, Edwards loses by 3 points, Clark loses by 1

MOE is 3, so they are all in statistical dead heat.