New Polls Show Bush Holding Edge on Gore in Tight Race

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.