ANCHESTER, N.H. - There's good news for Bill Bradley and John McCain in the Granite State, according to a University of Massachusetts poll of likely primary voters.
On the Democratic side, Bradley leads Al Gore 47 percent to 37 percent; in the Republican column, McCain leads with 37 percent to 29 percent for George W. Bush, 14 percent for Steve Forbes, 7 percent for Alan Keyes, and 1 percent apiece for Gary Bauer and Orrin Hatch.
Bradley and McCain are swamping their opponents among independent voters, and Bradley also excels among young people. Those groups are the least reliable when it comes to actually voting, said Lou DiNatale, who conducted the survey.
''The issue now becomes turnout,'' said DiNatale, who noted that Gore will have two more chances to make up the deficit - with a big win in the Iowa caucuses on Monday and kind words from President Clinton in the State of the Union address Jan. 27.
Among independents planning to vote in the Republican primary, McCain trounces Bush, 60 percent to 30 percent. Among independents voting in the Democratic primary, Bradley bests Gore 50 percent to 28 percent.
In the 18-35 age bracket, Bradley beats Gore 58 percent to 31 percent; but Bush leads McCain 35 percent to 31 percent.
The survey of 400 likely voters in both the Democratic and Republican primaries was conducted from Friday to Sunday. The margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.
For Bush, mother knows best in N.H.
Though he has campaigned for his son in Iowa and South Carolina, don't look for George Bush, the former president, to make any appearances in New Hampshire. This has been treacherous terrain for the elder Bush, who was rebuked by voters in 1992.
Instead, the ever-popular Barbara Bush will deliver the keynote address at the annual Lincoln Day dinner Thursday night at the Center of New Hampshire Holiday Inn. On Friday evening, Carroll County voters are invited to ''an evening with Barbara Bush'' at the Sheraton North Conway.
Meanwhile, the one Republican candidate not competing in Iowa - McCain - will be touring Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and South Carolina before returning to New Hampshire on Sunday.
Gore, Bradley get high-profile help
With the Iowa caucuses less than a week away, most of the presidential candidates are spending their time trek ing from Des Moines to Davenport, and from Cedar Rapids to Sioux City. While Gore and Bradley will make stops in New Hampshire tomorrow, they are also sending representatives to the state.
Basketball celebrities Bill Russell, Dave DeBusschere, K.C. Jones, and Nate Archibald will get together in Manchester before fanning out around the state on behalf of Bradley Thursday and Friday.
Gore, on the other hand, is sending family members, senators, and a Cabinet secretary. Tipper Gore is visiting 14 towns in three days, focusing on the Lakes Region and North Country. Karenna Gore Schiff, the Gores' oldest daughter, will campaign for her father on Saturday along with Stephanie Shaheen, the oldest daughter of Jeanne Shaheen, the New Hampshire governor. And Senators John Kerry and Christopher Dodd, and Commerce Secretary William Daley, will be around to give Gore a boost as well.
Bradley to Kerry: Check the record
The Bradley camp reports that Kerry, Massachusetts' junior senator, has been roughing up their man during a trip to Iowa for not being a better friend of farmers.
Their response: Kerry isn't so hot, either. In 1994, both voted against a measure requiring that at least 30 percent of all oxygenated gasoline be made from ethanol.
