HICAGO - One year before the 2000 presidential election, Democrat Bill Bradley is narrowing the gap with Vice President Al Gore and is only five percentage points behind Republican front-runner George W. Bush, a Reuters/WHDH poll reported yesterday.
The nationwide poll of 1,004 likely voters, by Zogby International for Reuters and WHDH-TV in Boston, said Bradley, a former three-term senator from New Jersey and ex-NBA basketball star, performed better against Bush than did Gore.
Bush, the governor of Texas, led Gore 50-39 percent. He led Bradley 47-42 percent, within the poll's statistical margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percent. The poll was conducted Nov. 6-8.
Bush beat Gore in all regions of the country and among all demographic groups except blacks and Hispanics. Bradley led Bush by 10 points in the East.
If columnist Pat Buchanan, who is seeking the White House nomination of the Reform Party, was factored into the Bush-Gore matchup, Bush's lead over the vice president shrank to 45-40, with Buchanan taking 6 percent.
The poll did not test a Bush-Bradley-Buchanan contest.
Among 503 voters who said they intended to vote in Democratic primaries, Gore led Bradley 48-31 percent with 21 percent undecided. The previous Reuters/WHDH national poll in early September showed Gore ahead by 55-17 percent. The margin of error for the Democratic subgroup was 4.5 percent.
''This poll clearly shows that Bradley has developed some real momentum as more national attention is focused on him,'' said pollster John Zogby. ''Significantly, Gore has dropped below the 50 percent mark and his attempts to remake his campaign and his image have not produced results, at least not yet.''
Results of polling for the Republican primary will be released today.
Bradley led in the East while Gore was ahead in all other regions. Previous polls have shown Bradley is particularly strong in New England, including New Hampshire which will stage the first primary Feb 1.
Gore has been increasing his attacks on Bradley, particularly against his plan to extend health insurance to most Americans. Bradley for the first time hit back Monday, accusing Gore of abandoning a basic Democratic Party principle of securing health care for all.
Gore's comparative weakness also showed when he was matched up against Republican John McCain. He led the Arizona senator by only 44-41 percent, a statistical tie. Bradley beat McCain 45-32 percent.
Although 44 percent in the poll said they were better off than they were four years ago and another 43 percent said they were about the same, only 28 percent of respondents said they would vote for President Clinton if he could seek a third term. Sixty-eight percent said they would vote against him.
