Bentsen, Quayle Find Key Gains in Poll Results

Both vice presidential nominees can find good news in a poll conducted by the Gallup Organization for Times Mirror Co.

Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Tex.) was regarded by far greater numbers of registered voters than Sen. Dan Quayle (R-Ind.) as qualified to serve as President, if that became necessary.

On the other hand, an overwhelming majority of the 1,000 people contacted nationwide by telephone last Wednesday and Thursday said they think no less of Quayle because he chose to serve in the National Guard during the Vietnam War.

Moreover, a large majority said they would not hold a less favorable opinion of Quayle if they learned that he had used family influence to join the Guard to avoid being drafted.

Also, large majorities said they believe that news coverage of Quayle, after his selection as Republican presidential nominee George Bush’s running mate, has been too extensive and unfair.

As for the top of the ticket, the survey found that both Bush and Michael S. Dukakis, the Democratic presidential nominee, continue to gain in the number of voters who view them favorably, but their similarly high ratings are still topped by the present White House occupant, Ronald Reagan.

In what is becoming a major campaign issue, 62% found Bentsen qualified to step in as President, while 16% said he was not qualified. Opinion on Quayle divided evenly: 41% said qualified, 40% said not qualified. The remainder in both cases said they did not know.

Beset by Stories

As part of the qualification issue, Quayle has been beset by news stories about how and why he joined the National Guard in 1969, a move that greatly reduced his chances of being sent into combat. In the survey of voters, 82% said they did not have a less favorable opinion of Quayle because he chose the Guard. A smaller, but still considerable, majority--63%--said they were not bothered by questions of whether Quayle had used family influence to get into the Guard. (Records released Friday indicated that the Guard had vacancies and such influence was not needed.)

At the same time, 69% believed there was too much news coverage of Quayle’s past, which included not only the Guard matter but uncorroborated allegations that he had propositioned a female lobbyist while on a 1980 golfing trip with two other congressmen in Florida.

Also, 55% of the registered voters said that news organizations had been unfair to Quayle. However, 56% said it was important that voters learn about the details of Quayle’s past in order to judge whether he would be a good vice president; 38% said that such details were not related to his ability to serve in the post.

Surprisingly, those polled said they followed three other stories more closely than the Quayle imbroglio--the farm drought, the downing of an Iranian jetliner by a U.S. Navy ship and the hot weather.

Bush Favorable Rating Rises

Meanwhile, 65% said they were very or mostly favorable about Bush, a gain of 5 percentage points from a week earlier, at the end of the Republican National Convention.

Dukakis’ rating rose to 59%, an increase of 4 points during the same period.

President Reagan, who had a 67% favorable rating, continued to outpace both of them.

Quayle’s favorable rating was 50% and Bentsen’s was 48%.

Those surveyed rated Bush and Dukakis about even on ability to get things done, make good decisions and use good judgment. However, Dukakis was given an edge on being concerned about people’s needs and being strong and forceful.

The margin of error for the survey was plus or minus 3 percentage points.