Draft Gore: Gore in Statistical Dead Heat with Bush, Leads All Democrats in Zogby/Draft Gore Poll
9/11/03 6:51:00 PM
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To: National Desk
Contact: Monica Friedlander, 510-612-1935; e-mail:
draftgore@draftgore.com; Herb Riede, 202-448-2919; Bill McCormack, 408-844-7080, all of Draft Gore 2004; Web:
http://www.draftgore.com
OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 11 /U.S. Newswire/ -- For the first time since the 2000 elections, a major poll shows the country split evenly between former Vice President Al Gore and President Bush. The same poll also shows that half the voters in America have not forgotten the controversy of the 2000 election.
The results of the Sept. 5-9 Zogby poll show Bush with less than majority support and only with the narrowest of margins over Al Gore, 48 percent to 46 percent -- a difference that's within the poll's margin of error (3.2 percent). Moreover, Gore leads Bush among independent voters by 47 percent to 43 percent.
"More than two and a half years after the 2000 election and we are back where we started," said pollster John Zogby. "The country was evenly divided then and it is still evenly divided."
The poll, conducted on Sept. 5-9 by Zogby International for Draft Gore (draftgore.com), also shows Gore easily leading all major contenders for the Democratic nomination with 24 percent compared to 16 percent for Dean, 12 percent for Lieberman, 11 percent for Kerry, 7 percent for Gephardt, and 2 percent for Edwards.
"These results are stunning, considering that Al Gore is the only potential candidate who1s been out of the limelight since last December," says Draft Gore Chair Monica Friedlander. "The strength of support and staying power Gore enjoys clearly indicate that he has an excellent chance of beating George Bush in 2004. We're confident that results such as these will persuade Vice President Gore to enter the race and lead the Democratic Party to victory in 2004."
None of the other Democratic contenders could hold Bush to less than 50 percent in a similar Zogby poll conducted one week ago. Howard Dean, Gore's closest competitor and widely considered the frontrunner among declared candidates, lagged 10 points behind Bush (42 percent to 52 percent).
"Gore is clearly the most electable candidate," says Bill McCormack of Draft Gore. "What's the 2004 election about if not winning? Four years ago at this time Bush held a lead of more than 10 points over Gore, and Gore still won the popular vote in 2000. Now they start even, and the undecided vote tends to break in favor of the challenger. Gore is in a perfect position for 2004."
In the match-up against Bush, Gore received 77 percent support from Democrats, 47 percent from independents, and 10 percent from Republicans.
-- COUNTRY STILL POLARIZED OVER 2000 ELECTION
Perhaps the most intriguing result of the poll was the almost even split on a question never asked of voters before. The poll asked respondents whether they agree or disagree that Gore would have been elected president had all the votes been counted in Florida in 2000. Almost half, 46 percent , agreed, and 48 percent disagreed (again, within the margin of error). A large majority of Democrats (70 percent) and a majority of independents (50 percent) believe Gore would have won had the Supreme Court not intervened.
"Three years after being told to move on and get over the controversy, almost half the country still believes that with all the votes counted Gore would be in the White House now," Friedlander said. "This enduring belief gives Al Gore a standing among Democrats that is normally enjoyed by incumbent presidents."
-- COUNTRY BETTER OFF UNDER GORE
Asked whether the country would have been better or worse off under a Gore administration, a plurality of respondents (37 percent) gave the nod to a hypothetical Gore presidency. Only 33 percent said the country would have been worse off, and 21 percent said there would have been no difference. Both Democrats (64 percent) and independents (36 percent) feel Gore's leadership would have been better for America.
Asked if they feel that Gore should run in 2004, a majority of Democrats in (52 percent) said yes.
-- ABOUT THE POLL
Zogby International interviewed 1000 likely voters nationwide from Sept. 5 through Sept. 9, 2003. The margin of error is plus/minus 3.2 percent. The poll was commissioned by Draft Gore 2004 (
http://www.draftgore.com).
ABOUT DRAFT GORE
Draft Gore 2004 (draftgore.com) is a political action committee founded in December of 2002. It is the lead national organization advocating a Gore candidacy and draft in 2004. Draft Gore is not affiliated with former Vice President Al Gore. For more information, see
http://draftgore.com.