Poll finds apparent Kerry lead in close contest
Survey taken after Edwards tapped for vice presidential run
(CNN) -- Sen. John Kerry apparently leads President Bush among likely voters surveyed after he chose Sen. John Edwards as his Democratic running mate, but the race remains close, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday.
The survey of 706 likely voters, conducted between Thursday and Sunday, found 50 percent would support the Kerry-Edwards ticket, and 46 percent would vote for President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points. The survey of likely voters weighted the sample to assume a turnout of 50 percent, consistent with recent presidential elections.
Kerry announced his choice for the vice presidential nomination last Tuesday, and the next day the two made their first public appearances together as running mates.
Bush campaign officials had said Kerry would get a substantial surge after his selection, but the Kerry campaign sought to keep expectations in check, saying the senator from Massachusetts has already seen a steady rise in polls.
A previous poll, conducted June 21-23, found Bush barely leading Kerry, 48-47. Bush had led Kerry as much as 55-43 in similar polls going back to early January.
In the current poll, a wider sample of 891 registered voters showed a slightly larger apparent lead for Kerry, but one that was still within the margin of error.
Fifty-one percent said they would vote for Kerry-Edwards, and 44 percent supported Bush-Cheney.
Although Democrats have expressed concerns that independent candidate Ralph Nader could spoil the election for Kerry, the poll showed the Nader-Peter Camejo ticket having little effect.
Given all three options, 50 percent of likely voters still said they would vote for Kerry-Edwards, while Bush-Cheney dropped from 46 percent to 45 percent. Only 2 percent of likely voters said they would pick Nader-Camejo.
