State Republicans Favor Dole Over Wilson in Poll

Kansas Sen. Bob Dole runs well ahead of Gov. Pete Wilson among California Republicans who say they will vote in the state’s 1996 presidential primary, and Dole bests President Clinton in a head-to-head match among all voters surveyed, the Field Poll reported Friday.

In a sample of 304 Republicans, Dole won the support of 48% and Wilson got 22%. Others included Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas, 11%; former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, 3%; conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, 2%, and Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Richard Lugar of Indiana and Rep. Bob Dornan of Garden Grove, 1% each. Twelve percent of those polled said they were undecided.

When 725 voters, including Democrats and others, were surveyed, Dole ran ahead of Clinton in a hypothetical matchup 50% to 44%. But Clinton ran ahead of Wilson 48% to 44%, the Field Institute of San Francisco reported.

Gramm and Alexander have formally announced their candidacies. Dole plans to do so in April. Lugar said this week he is running. Wilson is considering entering the contest for the GOP nomination at the 1996 Republican National Convention in San Diego, and is expected to announce a decision by the end of this month.

When Colin Powell, the former chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, was put on the list of possible candidates, the results were Dole, 37%; Wilson, 19%, and Powell, 15%. In a hypothetical matchup with Clinton, Powell ran ahead. Powell has not given any indication that he intends to run.

The margin of error for the entire sample was plus or minus 5.4 points. The survey was conducted Feb. 23 through March 1.