New Polls Show Bush Holding Edge on Gore in Tight Race

WASHINGTON — The presidential race between George W. Bush and Al Gore remains close in the days before the Republican National Convention, new polls indicated Monday night.

A majority of voters saw Bush, the Republican governor of Texas, as unlikely to keep the budget balanced while cutting income taxes; more thought Vice President Gore had a better knowledge of world affairs, according to the ABC News-Washington Post poll released Monday night.

“Bush is maintaining a lead on internal measures on many issues and personal qualities and is in a strong position,” said ABC pollster Gary Langer. “But now is when voters really start paying attention.”

Bush had 48% to 45% for Democrat Gore in the ABC-Post poll, not a significant change from the 49-45 edge Bush had in June.

Another poll out Monday night, from CBS and the New York Times, gave Bush 46% to 40% for Gore, compared with 43% for Bush and 41% for Gore earlier in July.

Both polls, the CBS-Times survey of 953 adults and the ABC-Post poll of 1,228 adults, were taken Friday through Sunday and had error margins of 3 percentage points, slightly higher for registered voters.