Poll: Bush, McCain lose ground to Dems

By Keating Holland/CNN

February 16, 2000
Web posted at: 5:28 p.m. EST (2228 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With attention focused on the bitter battle for the Republican nomination, Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Arizona Sen. John McCain have both lost a bit of ground to their potential Democratic rivals, but McCain currently remains the more electable GOP candidate, according to a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.

If the election were held tomorrow, McCain would beat Vice President Al Gore by a 55 percent to 39 percent margin; Bush currently holds a narrower 50 percent to 45 percent edge over Gore.

The number of likely voters who support Bush or McCain over Gore has dropped three points in just over a week; Bush has dropped six points in a hypothetical match-up with former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley.

In the race for the GOP nomination, McCain's support has dropped slightly since New Hampshire; he now trails Bush by a 58 percent to 31 percent margin. There has been little movement on the Democratic side since the New Hampshire primary, with Gore maintaining a hefty lead over Bradley.

The poll is based on interviews with 1,050 adult Americans, including 407 registered Republicans, 388 registered Democrats and 524 likely voters. It was conducted February 14-15 and has a sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points unless otherwise noted.

If Vice President Al Gore were the Democratic Party's candidate and Texas Gov. George W. Bush were the Republican Party's candidate, who would you be more likely to vote for -- Gore, the Democrat, or Bush, the Republican? (Question asked of likely voters.)

	Now	Feb. 4-6
Bush	50%	53%
Gore	45%	44%

If Vice President Al Gore were the Democratic Party's candidate and Arizona Sen. John McCain were the Republican Party's candidate, who would you be more likely to vote for -- Gore, the Democrat, or McCain, the Republican? (Question asked of likely voters.)

	Now	Feb. 4-6
McCain	55%	58%
Gore	39%	36%

If former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley were the Democratic Party's candidate and Texas Gov. George W. Bush were the Republican Party's candidate, who would you be more likely to vote for -- Bradley, the Democrat, or Bush, the Republican? (Question asked of likely voters.)

	Now	Feb. 4-6
Bush	49%	55%
Bradley	45%	41%

If former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley were the Democratic Party's candidate and Arizona Sen. John McCain were the Republican Party's candidate, who would you be more likely to vote for -- Bradley, the Democrat, or McCain, the Republican? (Question asked of likely voters.)

	Now	Feb. 4-6
McCain	56%	58%
Bradley	33%	35%

Please tell me which of these candidates you would be most likely to support for the Republican nomination for president in the year 2000 -- Texas Gov. George W. Bush, Arizona Sen. John McCain, or political commentator Alan Keyes. (Question asked of registered Republicans.)

	Now	Feb. 4-6
Bush	58%	56%
McCain	31%	34%
Keyes	3%	3%

Please tell me which of these candidates you would be most likely to support for the Democratic nomination for president in the year 2000 -- former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley or Vice President Al Gore. (Question asked of registered Democrats.)

	Now	Feb. 4-6
Gore	64%	65%
Bradley	26%	24%