Poll has N.H. GOP, Democratic fields in dead heats

Associated Press, 01/22/00

CONCORD, N.H. -- With just over a week before the presidential primary, a poll of New Hampshire voters released Saturday shows the Republican and Democratic races in dead heats.

In the GOP race, 35 percent of voters favored Arizona Sen. John McCain, while 32 percent opted for Texas Gov. George W. Bush. The poll's margin of error of plus or minus 6 percentage points makes that a statistical tie.

Publisher Steve Forbes followed with 13 percent, Alan Keyes with 6 percent, Gary Bauer with 4 percent and Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch with 2 percent. Eight percent were undecided.

The poll, which questioned 339 likely Republican primary voters, was conducted Tuesday and Wednesday by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research for the Concord Monitor.

On the Democratic side, 45 percent favored Vice President Al Gore while 44 percent selected former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley; 11 percent were undecided. The margin of error means Gore and Bradley also are tied.

Mason-Dixon questioned 302 likely Democratic primary voters for the poll.