http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news...0vb8&refer=us#
Kerry Pulls Ahead of Bush in State Polls After Presidential Debate


Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry gained
ground at President George W. Bush's expense in polls taken in Florida,
New Jersey, Iowa, New Mexico and New Hampshire after last week's
presidential debate.

Kerry has a 2 percentage point edge in Florida and the candidates are
tied in New Hampshire, two states that were among those Bush won in
2000, according to the American Research Group.

In New Mexico and New Jersey, Kerry leads by 3 percentage points, within
the error margin, according to polls. Bush and Kerry are tied in Iowa.
The three states backed the Democratic nominee in 2000.

``Independent voters, who shifted to Bush from Kerry beginning just
prior to the Republican convention, seem to be shifting back to Kerry,
and that trend has intensified in the days following the first debate,''
American Research Group President Dick Bennett said in an e-mail.

Florida, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Iowa are among the 17 to 20
``battlegrounds'' regarded as key to the Nov. 2 election by both campaigns.

A review of state-by-state polls and historical voting data by Bloomberg
News shows Bush ahead in 21 states, including Texas and Utah, with 178
electoral votes. Kerry leads in 11 states, including New York and
Illinois, with 164 electoral votes. In 18 states that have 196 electoral
votes, including Pennsylvania and Florida, results of the most recent
polls are within the margin of error.

--
"...vice president (Cheney), I'm surprised to hear him talk about
records. When he was one of 435 members of the United States House, he
was one of 10 to vote against Head Start, one of four to vote against
banning plastic weapons that can pass through metal detectors. He voted
against the Department of Education. He voted against funding for
Meals on Wheels for seniors. He voted against a holiday for Martin
Luther King. He voted against a resolution calling for the release of
Nelson Mandela in South Africa. It's amazing to hear him criticize
either my record or John Kerry's."

- Senator John Edwards, 10/05/04