US President George W. Bush holds a narrow two-point lead over Democratic challenger Mr John Kerry less than four weeks before the November 2nd presidential election, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released today.
Mr Bush led the Massachusetts senator 46-44 per cent in the initial three-day tracking poll, with eight per cent of likely voters still undecided ahead of tomorrow's second face-to-face debate between the White House rivals in St. Louis, Missouri.
With the war in Iraq dominating the campaign agenda, Mr Kerry opened a 51-39 percent lead over Bush among voters who cite Iraq as the top issue. Mr Bush held a 68-26 per cent lead among voters who cite the war on terror as the top issue.
But while Mr Kerry once hoped the economy would give him a vital advantage, he has not been able to break away from Bush among voters worried about the topic.
"Kerry's edge on the economy is gone," pollster Mr John Zogby said. "Among those who cite the economy as the top issue, the candidates are in a dead heat - Bush holding a slight edge" at 46-44 per cent.
The national tracking poll of 1,217 likely voters, the first in a daily series that will continue until November 1st, was taken between Monday and Wednesday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
A tracking poll combines the results of three consecutive nights of polling, then drops the first night's results each time a new night is added. It allows pollsters to record shifts in voter sentiment as they happen.
The White House race has seesawed in the last month, with Mr Bush opening a lead in most polls after the Republican convention in early September and Mr Kerry surging back after last week's debate.