President Bush "has a 5-percentage-point lead" over Sen. John Kerry among likely voters, "but nearly one-fifth say the candidate debates that begin tonight could affect their decision," a new Los Angeles Times poll has found. Bush leads 51% to 46%, with both men "holding at least 90% of the voters from their own party." (See the extended poll analysis.)
However, Bush "still faces widespread doubts about many of his central initiatives. A narrow majority says the situation in Iraq was "not worth" the war, and a solid plurality believes that the president's policies have hurt, rather than helped, the economy. These doubts could provide the senator from Massachusetts with openings in the campaign's final weeks."
The latest Harris Poll shows Bush with a two-point lead over Kerry among likely voters, 48% to 46%.