Polls: Race tightens in Colorado, Mo.; Gore surges in NY, Illinois

By Will Lester, Associated Press, 09/11/00

WASHINGTON -- Al Gore has evened the presidential race with George W. Bush in Colorado and Missouri and has surged ahead in New York and Illinois, according to new state polls. The Democrat also has an edge in some new national polls, while others show a close race.

Gore had a 25-point lead in New York, a 15-point lead in Illinois and he and Bush, a Republican, were essentially even in Missouri and Colorado.

National polls show a very competitive race, with some giving Gore an edge.

A CNN-USA Today-Gallup tracking poll released Monday gave Gore 49 percent and Bush 42 percent among likely voters. An NBC News-Wall Street Journal national poll of registered voters showed Gore at 45 percent and Bush at 42 percent.

The CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll of 727 likely voters was taken Friday through Sunday and has an error margin of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The NBC poll of 2,017 registered voters was taken Thursday through Sunday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Tracking polls are taken continuously to spot voter trends.

The state-by-state battle for electoral votes is the most important contest because a candidate must claim 270 electoral votes to win the election. Gore has been closing the gap in many states that leaned toward Bush for much of the year and has been pulling ahead in others that were close.

- In Colorado, 43 percent of voters said they would vote for Bush and 40 percent said they would vote for Gore. The poll of 534 registered voters was taken Aug. 30-Sept. 6 by Talmey Drake Research for the Denver Rocky Mountain News and KCNC-TV. The difference between the candidates is within the poll's 4 percentage point error margin. Bush was up by 14 points in July.

- In New York, Gore was ahead of Bush by 56 percent to 31 percent among likely voters in a Marist poll released Monday. The poll of 480 likely voters was taken Sept. 6, 7 and 10, and has a 5 percentage point error margin. Gore had an 11 point lead in April.

- In Missouri, Gore had 45 percent and Bush had 40 percent in a Zogby poll taken for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The poll of 601 likely voters was taken Sept. 5-7 and a 4 percentage point error margin. The race has been close there in past months.

- In Illinois, Gore led Bush by 50 percent to 35 percent in a Zogby poll also taken for the Post-Dispatch. That poll of 601 likely voters also taken Sept. 5-7 also had a 4 percentage point error margin. Earlier polls have shown the race was close.