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4 Demos bunched atop S.C. voting poll

46 percent undecided
Associated Press

WASHINGTON--Three Democrats have pulled even with Joe Lieberman atop a new poll in South Carolina that shows almost half of likely primary voters remain undecided.

John Edwards, John Kerry and Howard Dean were grouped with Lieberman, though none were above 10 percent, in the poll released Thursday by Zogby International. Some 46 percent said they were unsure about which candidate to back, a number unchanged from March.

Lieberman, the Connecticut senator and Al Gore's running mate in 2000, was the leader in South Carolina polls earlier this year, along with Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri. Both have lost ground in the state.

Lieberman's support dropped from 13 percent in July to 8 percent in the poll conducted Sept. 2-3. Gephardt, who was at 10 percent in March, fell to 4 percent in the recent survey.

Edwards, the senator from neighboring North Carolina, was at 10 percent; Dean, the former governor of Vermont, was at 9 percent. Kerry was at 8 percent.

Edwards began TV advertising in South Carolina almost two weeks ago, and Dean's ads hit the state's airwaves within the past week. Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, garnered news coverage by formally announcing his candidacy in Mount Pleasant on Tuesday.

Neither Lieberman nor Gephardt has begun running television ads in South Carolina.

The Rev. Al Sharpton had 5 percent, and Sen. Bob Graham of Florida had 2 percent. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who is considering a run for president, also was at 2 percent.

Former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio were both at 1 percent.

Based on his survey, pollster John Zogby said the Democrats' "campaign is not even on the radar screen in South Carolina." He said the numbers indicate that the results in Iowa and New Hampshire could influence the outcome in South Carolina, which holds its primary Feb. 3. The Iowa caucuses are Jan. 19; New Hampshire's primary tentatively is set for Jan. 27.

Dean and Gephardt lead in Iowa, while Dean has a double-digit advantage in New Hampshire.

The poll of 501 likely primary voters had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.


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