Bush and Kerry level ahead of debate

US President George W Bush and Democratic Senator John Kerry remained deadlocked in the White House race going into their final debate last night, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released yesterday.

Bush and Kerry held steady at 45% each in the latest three-day tracking poll, raising the stakes for last night’s pivotal final debate in Tempe, Arizona.

The debate, the last big scheduled event in the campaign, could give the winner a critical boost in momentum for the final three-week push to the November 2 election.