Poll Shows Buchanan Gaining on Bush in New Hampshire

President Bush has lost some ground among New Hampshire voters to conservative commentator Patrick J. Buchanan, according to a new poll.

Bush was preferred by 46% of likely Republican voters in the state’s Feb. 18 primary, contrasted with 30% for Buchanan in the telephone poll by the American Research Group of Manchester. The poll was conducted between Thursday and Sunday.

A similar survey in November showed Bush with a 56%-20% lead over Buchanan. In both polls, 24% were undecided.

The poll found Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and former Massachusetts Sen. Paul E. Tsongas continuing to run neck-and-neck among Democrats.

American Research said it polled 403 likely Republican primary voters and 416 likely Democratic primary voters. The Republican poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points; the Democratic poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8%.

Nationally, only 10% of Republicans surveyed supported Buchanan in a USA Today-CNN-Gallup poll published Monday. The poll, compiled from two samplings of about 1,400 adults each, found 49% saying Bush deserves reelection, down from 56% in November, USA Today reported.

Bush’s approval rating was 46%, the lowest of his presidency in a Gallup survey.