MANCHESTER, N.H. -- A month before New Hampshire's leadoff presidential primary, Republican contenders Sen. John McCain and Texas Gov. George W. Bush were running neck-and-neck in the state, according to a poll conducted during the last days of 1999.

McCain received support from 36 percent of likely Republican voters participating in a survey conducted by The New Hampshire Poll. Bush was three percentage points behind at 33 percent. Fifteen percent were undecided and the remaining 16 percent said they would vote for other Republican candidates.

McCain, of Arizona, led Bush by nine percentage points in a New Hampshire Poll survey completed Dec. 21.

Bill Bradley and Vice President Al Gore also are in a statistical dead heat in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Bradley received 42 percent, and Gore received 39 percent. Nineteen percent said they were undecided.

Gore trailed Bradley by 12 points on Dec. 31.

The New Hampshire primary will take place Feb. 1.

The New Hampshire Poll surveyed 600 likely Democratic voters and 600 likely Republican voters from Dec. 29 to Dec. 31 by telephone. The margin of error was plus or minus four percentage points.