Slim lead for Kerry after second debate

DEMOCRATIC challenger John Kerry held on to a slim one-point lead over President Bush after Friday’s second debate between the White House rivals, according to a new poll.

Support for Mr Kerry and Mr Bush held steady after the TV encounter, with the Massachusetts senator maintaining a slim 46-45% lead on Mr Bush in the latest Reuters/Zogby poll released yesterday.

The slight advantage for Mr Kerry was well within the poll’s margin of error, and the tight race heading into the final three weeks looks a lot like the 2000 election that Mr Bush narrowly won over Democrat Al Gore, pollster John Zogby said.

“This is so like 2000 it’s scary,” Zogby said. “Remember in 2000, the lead changed several times in October.”

Mr Bush and Mr Kerry battered each other over Iraq and taxes during the 90-minute encounter, and both were upbeat afterward about their performance. Mr Bush was sharper and more aggressive than in the first debate, but polls afterward declared Mr Kerry a narrow winner.

The poll showed a widening gender gap between the candidates. Mr Bush leads among men by 50-43%, while Mr Kerry leads among women by 49-40%. A one-day sample on the last day of polling showed Mr Kerry with narrow leads among newly-registered voters, 49-44%.