By John Whitesides
Washingotn - American President George Bush holds a slim two-point lead over Democratic rival John Kerry for the second consecutive day in a tight race for the White House, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Saturday.
Bush led Kerry 47-45 percent in the latest three-day tracking poll, a statistical dead heat that was within the poll's margin of error. Bush had an identical 47-45 percent lead the previous day.
About six percent of likely voters are still undecided between the president and the Massachusetts senator 10 days before the November 2 election, and neither candidate has been able to break 50 percent since the poll began on October 7.
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Pollster John Zogby said the tense White House battle evoked memories of the disputed 2000 election narrowly won by Bush over Democrat Al Gore. At this stage of the 2000 race, Bush had a one-point lead over Gore in the tracking poll.
Zogby said Bush was performing slightly better this year in the states he won in 2000 - the so-called "red states" named for the colour used by television networks to identify them - than Kerry was in the states won by Gore.
"Bush leads in the 'red states' 51 percent to 42 percent, while Kerry leads in the 'blue states' by only 47 percent to 43 percent," Zogby said.
Kerry courted women voters by touting his health care and education plans during a visit to Wisconsin on Friday, while Bush promised voters in the three biggest swing states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida that he would do the best job of keeping them safe.
Women gave Gore a big edge in 2000, but Kerry has struggled to consolidate their support. The tracking poll showed Kerry ahead by only three points among likely women voters, 48 percent to 45 percent, while Bush led among independents 44 percent to 41 percent.
The number of likely voters who thought Bush deserved re-election was 47 percent, while the number who wanted someone new was 49 percent. Only 46 percent rated Bush's presidential performance as excellent or good, while 54 percent said it was fair or poor.
The poll of 1,206 likely voters was taken Wednesday through Friday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2,9 percentage points. The rolling poll will continue through November 1 - the day before the election.
A tracking poll combines the results of three consecutive nights of polling, then drops the first night's results each time a new night is added. It allows pollsters to record shifts in voter sentiment as they happen.
The poll showed independent candidate Ralph Nader, blamed by some Democrats for drawing enough votes from Gore to cost him the election in 2000, with the support of one percent of likely voters.
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