A N.H. Poll Has Forbes on Top
A poll conducted by Lamar Alexander’s campaign offers evidence that the GOP presidential race may be more unsettled than previously thought.
The Sunday night poll of New Hampshire Republicans showed publisher Steve Forbes with 28% support and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole with just 22%, according to an Alexander aide.
In the poll, Alexander had moved up to third place with 13%, the official said, while Patrick J. Buchanan and Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas trailed with single digits.
Several caveats are in order: The poll was only a single-night snapshot; it was conducted by one of the competitors in the campaign and the margin of error (plus or minus 5 percentage points) is high. But the Alexander official said it indicated that Dole’s aura of inevitability has punctured in New Hampshire.
Another Alexander poll completed late last week in Iowa showed Dole slipping to just below 30%, though still leading Forbes’ 15%. But with Dole campaign ads now criticizing Forbes, his negative rating has jumped in Iowa, the official said.
Forbes’ campaign says its own polling shows Dole still ahead in New Hampshire.
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