Bush facing close re-election battle - poll

President George Bush is likely to face a close campaign for re-election next year, according to a poll that shows his strength on fighting terrorism and his popularity matched by Democrats’ advantages on the economy and other domestic issues.

The bipartisan Battleground 2004 poll found people were evenly divided on whether they thought Bush should be re-elected or it’s time to give someone new a chance to be president. He had a slight lead in a head-to-head matchup with an unnamed Democrat.

Just over half, 53%, said the country is on the wrong track, while 39% said it is headed in the right direction, according to the poll conducted by Republican pollster Ed Goeas and Democratic pollster Celinda Lake.

Bush had a 54% job approval rating in the poll and two-thirds said they like him personally.

In other findings:

:: While Democrats were favoured on the economy and health care, Bush had the upper hand on foreign policy and the campaign against terror.

:: Asked what will convince them the economy is improving, six in 10 said they would be convinced when they see the unemployment rate dropping.

:: When asked what concerned them most about the economy, health care was mentioned more often than any other concern, including job losses and taxes.