Bush opens small poll lead

US president George Bush has opened a slight lead over presidential challenger Senator John Kerry while regaining the confidence of some voters on the economy and other domestic issues, according to a new poll that held a silver lining for Democrats.

The addition of Senator John Edwards to Kerry’s ticket appears to have helped the Democrat in the South and among low-income voters – a result the Massachusetts senator had hoped for when he selected the North Carolina populist over more seasoned politicians.

The AP-Ipsos poll found Bush slightly leading Kerry 49% to 45% with independent candidate Ralph Nader at 3%. A month ago, the Bush-Kerry matchup was tied and Nader had 6%.

The three-day survey began Monday, the day before Kerry tapped Edwards as his running mate, and asked registered voters about the new ticket on Tuesday and Wednesday. Half supported the Republican tandem of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney while 46% backed the Kerry-Edwards ticket.

Voters said they were feeling better about the economy and no worse about Iraq, a sign that Bush may be regaining his political footing just as Democrats make a high-profile push toward their nominating convention in late July.

Troubling signs for the incumbent remain, however, from the number of voters who believe the country is on the wrong track (56%) to his poor, but improving, job approval numbers. Bush’s overall approval rating hit 50% for the first time since January, according to the poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs.