A Dead Heat in Vote Preference, But Advantage to Gore on Issues

ABC NEWS/WASHINGTON POST POLL: THE DECISIVE PHASE 9/6/00 EMBARGO: 6:30 P.M. BROADCAST, 9 P.M. PRINT/WEB, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2000 A Dead Heat in Vote Preference, But Advantage to Gore on Issues Al Gore and George W. Bush enter the decisive phase of the 2000 presidential race in a dead heat, but with Gore seizing an advantage on key issues and retaining his newfound competitiveness in personal appeal. The two are supported by 47 percent of likely voters apiece, with Ralph Nader at three percent and Pat Buchanan under one percent. Gore and Bush aren't just tied, they're also broadly acceptable: More than two-thirds think either would make a good president. But beneath these even numbers lies a sharp gain in Gore's position since midsummer. Before the conventions Bush led in public trust to handle 10 policy issues; now he leads in just two. Gore led in just three issues; now he leads in seven. Similarly, in mid-july Bush led in six personal qualities; now it's four. Gore had led in three; now it's six. 60 50 Bush 40 Gore 30 ABC News/Washington Post Polls: The 2000 Election Results are among likely voters 20 10 Nader 0 Buchanan May Jun July July Aug Aug Aug Sept

Policy Issues Personal Qualities Gore Advantage Bush Advantage Gore Advantage Bush Advantage Social Security Taxes Empathy Strong leader Health care Defense Experience Personality Environment Knowledge Bring change Education Unites people Military leader Abortion Clear stands Drug benefits Compassion Middle class Some changes on the issues are striking. In midsummer the two were rated evenly on handling education; now Gore leads by 12 points. Gore trailed by 13 points on managing the federal budget; now it's Gore +5. Gore trailed by nine points on the economy; it's also now Gore +5. And Gore trailed by 20 points on handling crime; now he's down by two. Views of Gore's personality were encapsulated in a widely noted result a year ago, when 57 percent of registered voters call him "boring." Now, with his emergence from Bill Clinton's shadow, that has dropped by 16 points, and instead the majority, 56 percent call him "interesting." Still, it remains better for Bush, at 66 percent. Most broadly, Gore's favorability rating the number of people who have a generally favorable opinion of him is now 59 percent, his highest in ABC News/Washington Post polls dating back eight years. Bush's rating is essentially the same as Gore's, 58 percent; it was 69 percent a year ago. GAPING GAP - There's a glaring gender gap in this poll, worthy of prominent notice. Among women, Gore leads by 18 points; among men, Bush leads by 20. That 38-point gender gap is the largest of the campaign to date, and it dwarfs the average, 13 points, in elections since 1980. The gap is reflected in issues as well. Women favor Gore's approach on 16 of 17 issues tested, all but two of them by double-digit margins. Men favor Bush, generally by smaller margins, on 11 issues; and Gore on just two. HAZARD - Perhaps most hazardous for Bush is that several of the trends run counter to his campaign's message. Example: Despite RNC ads to the contrary, voter perceptions of Gore as "honest and trustworthy" have gained 16 points, from 47 percent in mid-july to 63 percent now. Gore and Bush are now tied in this measure. Also, while Bush stresses his compassion (as in "compassionate conservatism"), Gore beats him by 20 points as a candidate who "cares about the less fortunate." While Bush suggests that Gore's campaign theme is divisive, more people see Gore than Bush as "a uniter, not a divider." And while the Republicans suggest Gore will say or do anything to get elected, about six in 10 think this is true of both candidates.

Gore holds very sizable leads on experience and knowledge of world affairs. And he even approaches Bush on having "an appealing personality." Bush's erstwhile 16-point lead in that measure has been whittled to six points today. Bush still prevails in another important measure, the view that he's a strong leader. Sixtyfive percent say that applies to him, compared to 54 percent for Gore. Ratings of Personal Qualities Gore, yes Bush, yes Gap Gore lead: Cares about less fortunate 77% 57% Gore +20 Knows world affairs 73 54 Gore +19 Right experience 76 59 Gore +17 Clear stand on issues 62 53 Gore +9 Understands your problems 54 47 Gore +7 A uniter, not a divider 61 54 Gore +7 Bush lead: Strong leader 54 65 Bush +11 Good commander-in-chief 54 65 Bush +11 Bring needed change 44 55 Bush +11 Appealing personality 55 61 Bush +6 Tie: Has new ideas 59 63 Bush +4 Will say anything to win 60 57 Gore +3 High personal ethics 71 74 Bush +3 Honest and trustworthy 63 62 Gore +1 ISSUES Gore, meanwhile, has double-digit leads on several of the issues he's been underscoring 28 points on protecting the environment, 18 points on prescription drug benefits, 14 points on helping the middle class, 11 points on improving health care. The leads for Bush are fewer and narrower nine points on defense, six points on taxes. In terms of their importance to voters, education, Social Security and the economy rank as the top issues, then health care, "encouraging high moral values and standards," the federal budget and crime. Of these Big Seven, Gore leads in three; the others are close. Some issues that have received prominent attention continue to rank comparatively low in voter priorities, including reforming campaign finance, reducing political partisanship and abortion. As noted, the gender gap in candidate preference on most issues is very broad: Gore lead: Trust to Handle the Issues Among: All Men Women "Very important"

Environment Gore +28 Gore +21 Gore +36 57% Prescrip. drugs Gore +18 Gore +6 Gore +26 62 Middle class Gore +14 Gore +1 Gore +24 64 Education Gore +12 Bush +5 Gore +25 77 Health care Gore +11 Bush +1 Gore +25 69 Social Security Gore +8 Bush +2 Gore +16 71 Abortion Gore +6 Bush +9 Gore +17 43 Bush lead: Defense Bush +9 Bush +23 Gore +3 57 Taxes Bush +6 Bush +19 Gore +6 63 Close: Economy Gore +5 Bush +9 Gore +16 72 Federal budget Gore +5 Bush +10 Gore +17 67 Less partisanship Gore +4 Bush +9 Gore +14 33 Gun control Gore +3 Bush +11 Gore +19 53 Crime Bush +2 Bush +21 Gore +12 65 Campaign finance Gore +1 Bush +11 Gore +12 32 Foreign affairs Bush +1 Bush +13 Gore +12 54 Moral values Tied Bush +13 Gore +13 69 GUNS, BUTTER and TAXES One issue that is resonating for Bush is military preparedness. A plurality of registered voters, 47 percent, believe the U.S. military has gotten weaker in the last eight years, while just 12 percent think it's gotten stronger. As noted, defense is Bush's best issue. Just the same, while Bush has gained seven points since last winter in the perception he'd be a good commander-in-chief (65 percent now say so), Gore has gained nine points in the same measure (to 54 percent). Another Bush theme, taxes, works less well. As it's been all year, most people have other priorities for the budget surplus. Just 21 percent give priority to a tax cut; 77 percent call instead for spending on Social Security, debt reduction or domestic programs. (And when specific, popular domestic programs are cited, the call for a tax cut slips to 14 percent.) This poll also asks what people would prefer: A large plan that gives everyone an acrossthe-board tax cut (i.e., Bush-style); or a smaller plan with "targeted tax cuts mainly for lower and middle-income people" (i.e., Gore-style). Fifty-three percent favor the Gorestyle tax cut, 45 percent the Bush-style plan. There's a similar division of opinion on another issue, tax-funded school vouchers where the public schools are underperforming. Bush favors this approach; in this poll 54 percent oppose it, 44 percent are in favor. Another specific should be working better for Bush: His support for allowing workers to invest a portion of their Social Security contributions in the stock marker. Fifty-nine percent like the idea; yet Gore leads by eight points in trust to handle Social Security. DECIDED? About three-quarters of Gore and Bush supporters alike say they "strongly" support their candidate that's up 10 points for Bush since midsummer, and

up nearly 20 points for Gore. About 10 percent for each candidate say there's a "good chance" they'll change their mind. Hard-core undecideds are few and far between; just two percent have no preference for a candidate. The election instead is likely to turn on lightly committed, changeable voters. This group comprises 13 percent of likely voters in this poll: People who don t feel strongly about their preference, and say they may change their minds. These changeable voters seem to fit precisely into the middle of the political road: Four in 10 are independents; nearly six in 10 describe themselves as moderates. There's a bit fewer of them in the South, Bush's best region. Yet currently they divide much like everyone else 47 percent for Gore, 45 percent for Bush. GROUPS - The vote divides sharply along economic lines, with those in the highest income groups favoring Bush and those in the lowest favoring Gore not surprising, since voters are more likely to think Bush cares more about serving upper-income people. At the same time, Bush does better among middle-income voters, those making between $30,000 and $50,000, even though voters say they trust Gore more to help the middle class. Bush leads in this group by nine points. Gore leads Bush by 61-33 percent among union households, about the same as Clinton's margin in this group in 1996. The Teamsters' executive board meets today to decide on its endorsement. The differences are less stark among swing voter groups. Bush has a slight edge, 48-41 percent, among independent voters, the key swing group. Bush and Gore are also tied among suburban and older voters, groups that both campaigns have been targeting. Bush Gore Women 38% 56 Men 57 37 Income <30K 35 58 30-50K 52 43 50-75K 50 46 >75K 52 43 Union household 33 61 Independents 48 41 Live in suburbs 46 47 Age 18-44 51 46 45-60 45 47 61+ 46 47

CLINTON FATIGUE The battle against Clinton fatigue is not over for Gore, but it continues to be less of a problem for him than it was earlier this year. Forty-two percent still say he's "too close to Clinton" to give the country a fresh start; but that's down from its peak, and 56 percent say it's not a concern. Gore also continues to lead Bush among people who dislike Bill Clinton personally but admire his policies a natural Gore support group, and one he needs to win. Gore moved ahead in this group only after his convention last month. OTHERS A few other nuggets from this poll: -Going negative. At this point neither candidate is broadly perceived as having gone negative, though Gore has a slightly better image on this score. Seventy percent think he's running a mostly positive campaign, compared to 62 percent for Bush. -Debates. There's a change in opinion on who should be included: Fifty-nine percent now favor a Bush-Gore debate only, while 38 percent want Nader and Buchanan there too. In midsummer it was a much closer division, 49-45 percent. -Religion. There may be some risk for the Democrats in Joseph Lieberman's high-profile expressions of religious faith. Fifty-seven percent of registered voters say they prefer that candidates keep their religious beliefs to themselves. -Congress. Preference in congressional races is as closely divided as it is in the presidential contest. Among likely voters 47 percent say they support the Democrat in their district, 46 percent the Republican. METHODOLOGY This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone Sept. 4-6, 2000, among a random national sample of 1,065 registered voters. The results have a three-point error margin for the full sample; 3.5 points for the subset of likely voters. Field work by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa. Analysis by Gary Langer. ABC News polls can be found at ABCNEWS.com on the Internet, at: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/pollvault/pollvault.html Here are the full results: (* is less than one percent.) 3. The candidates in November's presidential election are (Al Gore and Joseph Lieberman, the Democrats,) (George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, the Republicans), (Ralph Nader and Winona LaDuke of the Green Party) and (Pat Buchanan and Ezola Foster of the Reform Party). If the election were being held today, who would you vote for - (Gore), (Bush), (Nader) or (Buchanan)? Net Leaned Vote, Likely Voters: None Other Wouldn't No Gore Bush Buchanan Nader (vol.) (vol.) vote (vol.) op. 9/6/00 47 47 * 3 1 1 0 2

8/20/00 48 44 2 3 1 * * 1 8/10/00 42 50 2 5 * * * 1 8/6/00 37 52 3 5 * 0 * 2 7/29/00 37 52 2 7 1 1 * 1 7/23/00 38 46 6 8 1 * 1 1 6/11/00 43 48 3 3 1 * * 2 5/10/00 38 48 5 5 2 0 * 2 Net Leaned Vote, None Other Wouldn't No Gore Bush Buchanan Nader (vol.) (vol.) vote (vol.) op. 9/6/00 45 45 1 3 2 * 1 3 8/20/00 46 44 3 4 * 1 1 2 8/10/00 40 48 2 5 1 1 1 2 8/6/00 37 51 4 5 1 * 1 2 7/29/00 37 49 4 7 1 1 1 1 7/23/00 39 44 6 7 1 * 1 1 6/11/00 41 47 4 4 2 * 1 2 5/10/00 39 45 5 5 2 0 1 3 Net Leaned Vote, None Other Wouldn't No Gore Bush Buchanan Nader (vol.) (vol.) vote (vol.) op. 8/6/00 36 49 4 5 2 * 3 2 7/29/00 35 48 4 7 1 1 2 2 7/23/00 38 43 6 7 2 * 1 2 6/11/00 42 44 4 3 2 * 2 2 5/10/00 38 44 5 5 2 * 3 3 4. Do you support (Gore/Bush/Buchanan/Nader) strongly, or not strongly? 9/6/00 -----------Gore---------- -----------Bush----------- Strngly Not No opin. Strngly Not No opin. 9/6/00 75 24 1 73 25 2 8/20/00 74 24 2 72 26 2 8/10/00 72 26 2 72 27 1 7/23/00 56 41 3 65 33 2 7/23/00 52 46 3 63 35 2 2/27/00 58 40 2 54 44 2 2/6/00 52 45 3 57 40 2 1/16/00 51 45 3 53 44 3 12/15/99 50 46 4 58 39 3 10/31/99* 35 65 * 37 62 1 9/2/99 38 61 1 43 56 1 3/14/99 38 62 * 40 58 2 *10/99 and previous: "strongly or only somewhat" 5. Will you definitely vote for (Gore/Bush/Nader/Buchanan) in November, or is there a chance you could change your mind and vote for someone else? Is there a good chance you'll change your mind or would you say it's pretty unlikely? 9/6/00 Gore: ------Change mind------ Definitely vote Good chance Unlikely No opinion 9/6/00 69 11 18 2 8/20/00 71 9 18 2 8/6/00 65 14 18 3

8/6/00 62 16 20 2 7/23/00 58 15 26 2 Bush: ------Change mind------ Definitely vote Good chance Unlikely No opinion 9/6/00 70 13 16 1 8/20/00 68 12 20 1 8/6/00 68 14 16 1 General Population 8/6/00 65 15 18 2 7/23/00 63 14 22 2 6. How about if the only candidates were (Gore and Lieberman, the Democrats) and (Bush and Cheney, the Republicans) - if the election were being held today, who would you vote for? Net Leaned Vote, Likely Voters: Neither Other Wouldn't No Gore Bush (vol.) (vol.) vote (vol.) opin. 9/6/00 47 49 1 * 1 1 8/20/00* 53 45 * 2 1 1 8/10/00** 44 53 2 * * 1 8/6/00 41 55 2 * * 2 7/29/00 43 54 2 1 * 1 7/23/00 45 51 3 * 1 1 6/11/00 45 51 1 * 0 2 5/10/00 44 50 2 1 * 2 4/2/00 50 46 2 1 * 2 3/11/00 46 50 2 1 * 1 2/27/00 44 50 2 1 1 2 2/6/00 44 52 2 * 2 * 1/16/00 42 53 1 1 1 2 *8/20/00 and before: If the election for president in November 2000 were being held today,and the candidates were (Al Gore and Joseph Lieberman, the Democrats), and(george W. Bush and Dick Cheney, the Republicans), for whom would you vote? **Added v.p. names Net Leaned Vote, Neither Other Wouldn't No Gore Bush (vol.) (vol.) vote (vol.) opin. 9/6/00 49 46 2 * 2 1 8/20/00* 50 45 2 * 1 2 8/10/00** 43 52 2 1 1 1 8/6/00 40 54 3 * 1 2 7/29/00 42 53 2 1 1 2 7/23/00 45 48 3 * 1 2 6/11/00 45 49 3 * 1 2 5/10/00 44 49 3 * 1 3 4/2/00 47 46 2 * 2 2 3/11/00 48 45 2 1 2 3 2/27/00 44 50 2 1 1 2 2/6/00 45 50 2 * 2 1 1/16/00 42 52 1 1 2 2 12/15/99 41 55 1 * 2 1 10/31/99 39 55 2 * 1 2 *8/20/00 and before: If the election for president in November 2000 were being held today,and the candidates were (Al Gore and Joseph Lieberman, the Democrats), and(george W. Bush and Dick Cheney, the Republicans), for whom would you vote? **Added v.p. names

Net Leaned Vote, Neither Other Wouldn't No Gore Bush (vol.) (vol.) vote (vol.) opin. 8/6/00 39 53 4 * 2 2 7/29/00 40 52 3 1 2 2 7/23/00 44 47 4 * 2 2 6/11/00 44 49 3 * 2 2 5/10/00 43 49 3 * 2 3 4/2/00 45 47 3 * 2 2 3/11/00 48 45 2 1 3 2 2/27/00 44 50 2 1 2 2 2/6/00 45 49 3 * 2 1 1/16/00 41 51 2 * 3 2 12/15/99 39 55 2 * 3 1 10/31/99 39 55 2 * 2 2 9/2/99 37 56 3 * 3 2 8/22/99 37 49 5 2 3 3 6/6/99 40 53 3 1 1 3 3/14/99 41 54 1 * 2 2 Unleaned, Neither Wouldn't No Gore Bush (vol.) vote (vol.) opin. 10/25/98 34 45 7 1 13 8/21/98 41 43 6 2 7 1/19/98 40 45 5 2 7 9/23/97 35 40 12 4 9 7. How important will (READ ITEM) be to you in deciding how to vote in the 2000 presidential election in November - very important, somewhat important, not too important or not important at all? How about.? 9/6/00 Very Somewhat Not too Not at all op. A. Holding taxes down 63 29 6 2 1 B. Protecting the Social Security system 71 23 4 2 * C. Reforming election campaign finance laws 32 37 15 12 4 D. Improving the health care system 69 25 4 1 0 E. Protecting the environment 57 31 9 3 1 F. Handling the issue of gun control 53 26 12 8 1 G. Handling foreign affairs 54 36 7 3 * H. Encouraging high moral standards & values 69 21 6 4 * I. Improving education and the schools 77 17 4 2 * J. Managing the federal budget 67 28 4 1 1 K. Handling crime 65 28 5 2 1 L. Handling the national economy 72 24 3 2 * M. Handling the abortion issue 43 28 15 12 2 N. Handling the issue of prescription drug benefits for the elderly 62 26 9 3 1 O. Handling national

defense and the military budget 57 33 7 2 1 P. Helping the middle class 64 27 6 3 1 Q. Reducing the political partisanship in Washington 33 38 16 8 5 Trend where available: A. Holding taxes down 9/6/00 63 29 6 2 1 7/23/00 62 29 6 2 1 7/23/00 64 27 6 3 1 4/2/00 67 25 5 4 * 10/31/99 63 30 4 3 * 3/14/99 64 29 4 3 1 B. Protecting the Social Security system 9/6/00 71 23 4 2 * 7/23/00 72 22 5 1 1 7/23/00 73 20 5 2 1 4/2/00 74 20 3 2 * 10/31/99 76 17 3 4 * 9/2/99 68 25 5 2 * 3/14/99 74 20 4 2 * C. Reforming election campaign finance laws 9/6/00 32 37 15 12 4 4/2/00 36 35 16 11 2 4/2/00 34 36 16 11 3 10/31/99 40 38 14 5 3 9/2/99 30 40 17 11 1 D. Improving the health care system 9/6/00 69 25 4 1 0 7/23/00 72 21 4 1 1 7/23/00 73 21 4 2 1 Compare to: Protecting patients' rights in the health care system 5/10/00 71 21 4 4 1 4/2/00 70 21 5 3 1

10/31/99 75 19 4 2 1 9/2/99 65 26 5 4 * 3/14/99 71 21 6 2 1 E. Protecting the environment 9/6/00 57 31 9 3 1 7/23/00 58 34 6 1 * 7/23/00 60 33 6 1 * 4/2/00 55 34 8 3 0 10/31/99 60 33 5 2 * 9/2/99 62 30 6 2 * 3/14/99 61 30 6 2 2 F. Handling the issue of gun control 9/6/00 53 26 12 8 1 7/23/00 56 29 9 5 1 7/23/00 58 27 9 5 1 5/10/00 58 25 8 7 1 4/2/00 62 21 8 9 * 10/31/99 61 24 8 6 1 9/2/99 56 25 9 9 1 G. Handling foreign affairs 9/6/00 54 36 7 3 * 7/23/00 49 38 10 3 1 7/23/00 50 35 10 4 2 4/2/00 47 40 7 4 2 10/31/99 56 33 7 3 * 9/2/99 54 34 8 3 1 3/14/99 59 32 6 2 1 H. Encouraging high moral standards & values 9/6/00 69 21 6 4 * 7/23/00 70 21 5 3 2 7/23/00 70 20 4 4 2 4/2/00 66 21 8 5 1 10/31/99 64 25 7 4 1 9/2/99 67 20 8 3 2 3/14/99 60 26 7 6 1 I. Improving education and the schools 9/6/00 77 17 4 2 * 7/23/00 75 20 3 1 *

7/23/00 75 19 3 2 * 4/2/00 76 18 2 3 * 10/31/99 79 16 3 2 * 9/2/99 79 16 2 2 1 3/14/99 73 19 4 3 1 J. Managing the federal budget 9/6/00 67 28 4 1 1 7/23/00 59 32 5 3 1 7/23/00 58 32 6 3 1 4/2/00 66 26 4 3 1 10/31/99 76 20 3 2 * 9/2/99 74 21 3 1 1 3/14/99 74 22 2 * 2 K. Handling crime 9/6/00 65 28 5 2 1 7/23/00 72 23 4 1 1 7/23/00 72 22 3 1 1 4/2/00 72 19 5 3 1 10/31/99 76 18 5 1 1 9/2/99 71 22 3 3 * 3/14/99 67 27 4 2 1 L. Handling the national economy 9/6/00 72 24 3 2 * 7/23/00 71 23 3 1 1 7/23/00 71 22 3 2 1 4/2/00 69 27 2 2 * 10/31/99 79 17 2 2 1 9/2/99 74 21 2 2 1 3/14/99 80 14 3 2 1 M. Handling the abortion issue 9/6/00 43 28 15 12 2 7/23/00 49 25 14 11 2 7/23/00 48 26 13 11 1 4/2/00 50 27 14 9 1 10/31/99 44 28 15 11 1 N. Handling the issue of prescription drug benefits for the elderly 9/6/00 62 26 9 3 1

5/10/00 56 28 11 5 1 5/10/00 56 28 10 5 1 O. No trend. P. Helping the middle class 9/6/00 64 27 6 3 1 10/31/99 65 27 5 3 1 10/31/99 65 25 5 4 1 9/2/99 61 31 5 2 1 3/14/99 70 26 3 1 1 Q. Reducing the political partisanship in Washington -----Important------ -----Not important------- No 9/6/00 33 38 16 8 5 3/14/99 40 36 13 5 6 General Poulation: 3/14/99 39 37 13 5 6 8. Which presidential candidate, (Gore) or (Bush), do you trust to do a better job on each of these issues? First is (INSERT ITEM) 9/6/00 A. Holding taxes down 41 47 2 7 3 B. Protecting the Social Security system 48 40 4 4 4 C. Reforming election campaign finance laws 39 38 4 12 8 D. Improving the health care system 49 38 4 5 4 E. Protecting the environment 60 32 3 2 4 F. Handling the issue of gun control 45 42 2 4 7 G. Handling foreign affairs 45 46 3 3 3 H. Encouraging high moral standards & values 44 44 6 5 1 I. Improving education and the schools 50 38 5 3 4 J. Managing the federal 47 42 3 4 4 budget K. Handling crime 43 45 4 3 5 L. Handling the national economy 48 43 2 2 4 M. Handling the abortion issue 45 39 3 5 8 N. Handling the issue of prescription drug benefits for the elderly 53 35 2 4 7 O. Handling national defense and the military budget 41 50 2 2 6 P. Helping the middle class 52 38 1 4 5 Q. Reducing the political partisanship in Washington 41 37 3 11 9

Trend: A. Holding taxes down 9/6/00 41 47 2 7 3 8/20/00 42 47 3 5 3 7/23/00 35 51 3 5 5 7/23/00 36 49 3 6 7 4/2/00 35 51 3 5 6 3/11/00 41 41 2 12 4 10/31/99 34 53 2 6 4 B. Protecting the Social Security system 9/6/00 48 40 4 4 4 8/20/00 48 37 2 6 7 7/23/00 42 43 4 4 6 7/23/00 43 42 4 5 7 6/11/00 43 40 1 8 8 5/10/00 46 38 2 6 8 4/2/00 43 43 4 4 6 3/11/00 48 35 3 8 6 10/31/99 42 45 3 3 6 C. Reforming election campaign finance laws 9/6/00 39 38 4 12 8 4/2/00 38 45 1 8 7 4/2/00 39 44 2 8 8 3/11/00 39 34 3 17 8 10/31/99 38 44 2 9 7 D. Improving the health care system 9/6/00 49 38 4 5 4 8/20/00 53 38 1 5 3 7/23/00 47 40 4 5 5 7/23/00 47 38 4 5 6 Compare to: Protecting patients' rights in the health care system 4/2/00 47 39 3 4 6 3/11/00 51 31 5 7 6 10/31/99 46 42 2 4 7 E. Protecting the environment

9/6/00 60 32 3 2 4 7/23/00 56 33 3 4 5 7/23/00 56 32 3 3 6 4/2/00 56 32 4 3 5 3/11/00 53 33 5 6 4 10/31/99 51 35 5 4 5 F. Handling the issue of gun control 9/6/00 45 42 2 4 7 7/23/00 40 46 3 4 7 7/23/00 39 46 2 5 8 5/10/00 46 38 2 5 10 4/2/00 41 45 2 5 6 3/11/00 47 36 3 7 6 10/31/99 43 45 2 3 8 G. Handling foreign affairs 9/6/00 45 46 3 3 3 7/23/00 40 46 2 4 7 7/23/00 40 45 2 5 8 4/2/00 44 43 2 5 6 3/11/00 48 39 3 5 5 10/31/99 36 53 3 4 4 H. Encouraging high moral standards & values 9/6/00 44 44 6 5 1 8/10/00 39 50 5 4 2 7/23/00 36 47 5 5 6 7/23/00 37 46 5 6 6 4/2/00 40 45 5 5 5 I. Improving education and the schools 9/6/00 50 38 5 3 4 8/20/00 51 39 2 4 3 7/23/00 44 44 4 4 5 7/23/00 43 43 4 4 6 4/2/00 48 39 4 4 6 3/11/00 44 44 4 5 3 10/31/99 41 45 6 3 4 J. Managing the federal budget

9/6/00 47 42 3 4 4 7/23/00 36 49 4 4 7 7/23/00 37 48 4 4 8 4/2/00 46 43 3 4 4 K. Handling crime 9/6/00 43 45 4 3 5 7/23/00 33 53 5 4 6 7/23/00 34 51 5 3 6 4/2/00 35 50 4 4 7 10/31/99 35 52 4 4 6 L. Handling the national economy 9/6/00 48 43 2 2 4 8/20/00 49 40 3 4 5 8/10/00 41 50 2 3 3 7/23/00 39 48 3 4 6 7/23/00 38 48 3 5 7 6/11/00 41 46 1 6 6 4/2/00 41 47 3 4 5 3/11/00 43 47 2 4 3 10/31/00 37 50 3 3 7 M. Handling the abortion issue 9/6/00 45 39 3 5 8 7/23/00 42 41 2 7 8 7/23/00 41 40 2 8 9 4/2/00 46 39 2 6 8 3/11/00 38 39 3 11 10 10/31/99 39 44 4 6 7 N. Handling the issue of prescription drug benefits for the elderly 9/6/00 53 35 2 4 7 5/10/00 48 35 2 6 8 5/10/00 48 34 2 6 10 O. No trend. P. Helping the middle class 9/6/00 52 38 1 4 5 8/20/00 52 40 1 4 2

10/31/99 44 41 4 6 5 10/31/99 44 42 3 6 5 Q. No trend. 9. Please tell me whether the following statement applies to (Gore/Bush), or not? 9/6/00 ------Gore------ ------Bush------ No No Yes No op. Yes No op. A. He is a strong leader 54 43 4 65 28 7 B. He understands the problems of people like you 54 42 4 47 49 4 C. He has an appealing personality 55 42 3 61 35 3 D. He has the right kind of experience to be president 76 22 1 59 36 5 E. He would bring needed change to Washington 44 52 4 55 41 5 F. He has the knowledge of world affairs it takes to serve effectively as president 73 25 2 54 40 6 G. He will say or do anything to get elected 60 38 2 57 40 3 H. He has new ideas 59 37 4 63 34 4 I. He's honest and trustworthy 63 32 5 62 30 7 J. He would be a good commanderin-chief of the military 54 40 6 65 27 8 K. He has high personal moral and ethical standards 71 25 4 74 21 6 L. He ll unite people, not divide them 61 32 6 54 37 8 M. He has taken a clear stand on the issues 62 35 4 53 42 5 N. He cares about the less fortunate 77 19 4 57 37 6 Trend where available: A. He is a strong leader ------Gore------ ------Bush------ Yes No No op. Yes No No op. 9/6/00 54 43 4 65 28 7 8/20/00 56 39 5 65 29 5 8/10/00 47 48 5 67 29 5 7/23/00 46 49 5 61 33 6 7/23/00 48 47 5 62 32 5 6/11/00 48 45 6 65 30 6 4/2/00 54 39 7 68 27 5 3/11/00 55 40 5 63 31 6 2/27/00 45 50 5 62 32 6 2/6/00 46 48 5 65 30 7 1/16/00 41 53 6 65 28 7 12/15/99 43 51 7 67 26 7 10/31/99 47 47 6 77 18 5 9/2/99 38 52 10 70 18 12 6/13/99 39 51 9 NA NA NA 3/14/99 41 47 12 68 13 20 B. He understands the problems of people like you

------Gore------ ------Bush------ Yes No No op. Yes No No op. 9/6/00 54 42 4 47 49 4 8/20/00 62 33 4 50 46 5 7/23/00 51 46 3 44 51 5 7/23/00 49 46 4 44 51 5 6/11/00 53 42 6 48 47 5 4/2/00 54 40 6 48 46 6 3/11/00 55 39 5 47 47 6 2/27/00 49 47 5 43 51 6 2/6/00 50 47 4 43 52 5 1/16/00 46 47 7 46 49 6 12/15/99 46 49 6 47 46 7 10/31/99 57 38 4 54 39 7 9/2/99 47 45 8 50 39 11 6/13/99 44 44 12 NA NA NA 3/14/99 48 41 11 52 27 21 C. He has an appealing personality ------Gore------ ------Bush------ Yes No No op. Yes No No op. 9/6/00 55 42 3 61 35 3 8/20/00 51 46 3 65 29 6 7/23/00 45 50 6 61 34 5 7/23/00 45 49 6 60 34 7 D. He has the right kind of experience to be president ------Gore------ ------Bush------ Yes No No op. Yes No No op. 9/6/00 76 22 1 59 36 5 8/20/00 74 23 2 61 35 4 7/23/00 69 25 6 62 33 4 7/23/00 67 27 6 61 33 6 1/16/00 66 30 4 61 33 6 12/15/99 69 27 5 62 32 6 10/31/99 70 27 3 66 28 6 9/2/99 69 27 4 61 30 9 E. He would bring needed change to Washington ------Gore------ ------Bush------ Yes No No op. Yes No No op. 9/6/00 44 52 4 55 41 5 7/23/00 37 59 4 50 46 4 7/23/00 37 58 5 51 44 5 4/2/00 40 52 8 54 39 7 3/11/00 43 51 6 50 43 7 2/27/00 33 62 4 46 50 4 2/6/00 38 56 6 48 46 6 1/16/00 33 60 7 49 43 8 12/15/99 33 60 7 52 40 8 10/31/99 36 57 7 61 32 7 9/2/99 34 56 11 56 32 12 F. He has the knowledge of world affairs it takes to serve effectively as president

------Gore------ ------Bush------ Yes No No op. Yes No No op. 9/6/00 73 25 2 54 40 6 7/23/00 67 29 4 52 42 5 7/23/00 66 29 5 52 42 6 4/2/00 71 23 6 57 36 7 2/27/00 70 25 5 55 39 6 2/6/00 69 26 5 52 42 6 1/16/00 65 28 8 49 40 10 12/15/99 68 27 6 54 38 8 11/14/99 NA NA NA 59 36 6 G. He will say or do anything to get elected ------Gore------ ------Bush------ Yes No No op. Yes No No op. 9/6/00 60 38 2 57 40 3 7/23/00 60 36 4 60 36 4 7/23/00 61 35 4 59 36 5 H. He has new ideas ------Gore------ ------Bush------ Yes No No op. Yes No No op. 9/6/00 59 37 4 63 34 4 7/23/00 53 38 9 60 33 7 7/23/00 53 38 9 60 32 8 4/2/00 56 38 6 53 39 8 2/27/00 44 51 5 50 43 6 9/2/99 46 40 14 57 27 15 3/14/99 47 36 17 55 18 26 I. He's honest and trustworthy ------Gore------ ------Bush------ Yes No No op. Yes No No op. 9/6/00 63 32 5 62 30 7 7/23/00 47 45 8 61 30 8 7/23/00 47 45 8 59 31 10 12/15/99 58 35 7 63 28 9 10/31/99 67 28 6 68 22 10 9/2/99 63 27 11 63 23 14 3/14/99 63 24 13 67 12 22 J. He would be a good commander-in-chief of the military ------Gore------ ------Bush------ Yes No No op. Yes No No op. 9/6/00 54 40 6 65 27 8 2/6/00 45 48 8 58 35 7 2/6/00 45 47 8 57 35 8 K. He has high personal moral and ethical standards ------Gore------ ------Bush------ Yes No No op. Yes No No op.

9/6/00 71 25 4 74 21 6 10/31/99 78 18 3 72 18 9 10/31/99 77 19 4 74 18 8 9/2/99 70 19 11 65 20 15 3/14/99 67 18 15 67 8 24 L, M, N. No trend. 10. Regardless of how you might vote, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of (INSERT CANDIDATE) or perhaps you don't know enough to say. 9/6/00 Favorable Unfavorable No opinion Al Gore 59 32 9 George W. Bush 58 31 11 Ralph Nader 31 29 39 Pat Buchanan 19 48 32 Joseph Lieberman 46 15 39 Dick Cheney 42 20 38 Trend: Al Gore Favorable Unfavorable No opinion 9/6/00 59 32 9 7/23/00 53 37 10 6/11/00 46 38 16 7/23/00 54 35 11 6/11/00 45 35 20 4/2/00 47 35 19 2/27/00 50 40 10 10/31/99 56 38 6 9/2/99 50 40 10 6/6/99 52 34 14 3/14/99 54 33 14 2/14/99 53 31 17 8/21/98 55 30 15 7/12/98 54 26 20 4/4/98 54 27 19 1/31/98 52 29 19 1/30/98 51 30 19 1/25/98 55 29 16 1/24/98 54 30 15 1/19/98 48 36 17 10/13/97 45 40 15 9/10/97 49 33 19 4/24/97 53 29 19 3/9/97 56 29 15 3/19/95 57 27 16 10/31/94 41 37 22 5/15/94 58 27 15 3/27/94 57 25 18 11/14/93 56 28 15 8/23/92 RV 52 19 29 7/19/92 RV 55 12 33 George W. Bush Favorable Unfavorable No opinion 9/6/00 58 31 11 7/23/00 61 30 9 6/11/00 54 29 17

7/23/00 62 29 9 6/11/00 50 28 22 4/2/00 50 31 19 2/27/00 49 39 11 10/31/99 69 24 8 9/2/99 61 23 16 6/6/99 54 15 30 3/14/99 54 14 32 2/14/99 51 13 36 1/19/98 34 13 53 Ralph Nader Favorable Unfavorable No opinion 9/6/00 31 29 39 7/23/00 30 28 42 7/23/00 29 27 44 Pat Buchanan Favorable Unfavorable No opinion 9/6/00 19 48 32 7/23/00 24 45 31 1/16/00 20 62 18 7/23/00 23 44 34 1/16/00 20 60 20 10/31/99 30 49 21 3/14/99 26 48 27 7/17/95 29 44 27 3/18/92 23 47 30 3/11/92 20 42 24 2/2/92 29 24 47 Joseph Lieberman Favorable Unfavorable No opinion 9/6/00 46 15 39 8/7/00 24 10 65 Dick Cheney Favorable Unfavorable No opinion 9/6/00 42 20 38 7/29/00 34 11 55 7/29/00 29 10 60 11. Do you think the presidential debates this fall should be between Bush and Gore; or between Bush, Gore, Nader and Buchanan? Bush Bush, Gore Both Bush, Gore Bush, Gore & Nader & ways & Nader & Buchanan No Gore Buchanan (vol.) (vol.) (vol.) opinion 9/6/00 59 38 1 1 * 1 7/23/00 49 45 1 1 1 3 7/23/00 49 44 1 1 1 4 12. Overall, would you say (Gore/Bush) cares more about serving poor and lower income people, middle income people, upper income people, or would you say he cares equally about serving all people?

Gore: Poor Middle Upper All No opinion 9/6/00 17 15 13 50 6 8/20/00 17 16 12 48 8 7/23/00 15 17 18 42 8 7/23/00 14 17 19 42 8 9/2/99 14 10 15 48 12 Bush: Poor Middle Upper All No opinion 9/6/00 2 7 44 43 4 8/20/00 2 10 42 40 6 7/23/00 3 13 40 38 5 7/23/00 3 13 39 38 6 9/2/99 3 9 31 44 12 Compare to: Clinton: 8/5/96 15 16 19 44 6 7/17/95 19 16 20 42 4 1/29/95 17 20 16 44 3 4/26/93 15 13 14 56 2 1/17/93 12 10 11 64 4 8/23/92 RV 16 25 6 44 9 Dole: 8/5/96 2 16 43 33 6 President Bush: 1/17/93* 2 6 61 28 3 8/23/92 RV 1 7 56 33 3 8/9/92 1 8 62 25 4 2/2/92 3 10 56 30 1 12/15/91 1 7 58 32 2 10/21/91 1 7 48 41 2 11/4/90 LV 3 5 55 36 2 2/4/90 3 11 35 51 * *"has cared" Reagan: 1/16/85 2 10 52 35 1 7/8/84 1 6 56 34 3 12/13/83 2 7 52 35 2 6/19/83 1 7 58 32 2 8/17/82 2 8 56 29 5 6/1/82 1 5 55 33 6 1/30/82 1 7 52 39 2 11/22/81 1 7 54 35 3 10/5/81 1 10 53 33 3 9/26/81 2 6 43 45 4 9/20/81 1 8 52 35 3 4/22/81 1 6 29 58 5 3/29/81 2 5 34 54 4 2/20/81 3 6 23 64 4 13. Which is more important to you in choosing a candidate for president: (his personal qualities such as experience and leadership ability); or (his positions on specific issues)? Personal Positions Both No qualities on issues (vol.) opin.

9/6/00 45 41 14 1 8/20/00 39 47 13 1 10/31/99 42 42 16 * 10/31/99 43 43 14 1 14. Regardless of which candidate you prefer, if (GORE/BUSH) is elected do you think he'd probably be a good president, or not? Gore: Good Not good No opinion 9/6/00 69 27 4 Bush: Good Not good No opinion 9/6/00 69 26 5 15. Would you say (Gore/Bush) is very boring, somewhat boring, somewhat interesting, or very interesting? -------Boring-------- -----Interesting----- No NET Very Smewht. NET Very Smewht. opin. Gore: 9/6/00 41 14 27 56 15 42 2 9/2/99 57 24 33 41 9 32 2 9/2/99 55 22 32 42 8 34 3 6/13/99* 51 NA NA 40 NA NA 10 3/14/99 56 22 34 40 7 33 5 *"Please tell me whether the following statement applies to Gore or not... He is boring" -------Boring-------- -----Interesting----- No NET Very Smewht. NET Very Smewht. opin. Bush: 9/6/00 31 11 20 66 15 51 2 9/2/99 25 7 18 70 15 55 5 9/2/99 25 7 18 69 14 55 5 3/14/99 23 6 17 64 13 51 12 16. Do you think (Gore's/Bush's) views on most issues are too liberal for you, too conservative for you, or just about right? Gore: Too Too About No liberal conservative right opinion 9/6/00 35 8 52 4 7/23/00 37 11 46 6 7/23/00 36 11 47 7 3/11/00 30 9 53 7 2/27/00 35 10 49 7 2/24/00 36 11 43 9 2/6/00 36 11 46 7 9/2/99 35 12 46 7 3/14/99 31 10 44 15

Bush: Too Too About No liberal conservative right opinion 9/6/00 12 31 51 6 7/23/00 12 29 52 7 7/23/00 12 28 52 8 3/11/00 12 28 52 8 2/27/00 10 33 51 5 2/24/00 12 33 43 12 2/6/00 12 30 49 8 9/2/99 10 20 58 13 3/14/99 7 20 53 20 17. Do you think (INSERT CANDIDATE) has been conducting mainly a (positive) campaign, or mainly a (negative) campaign? --------Gore-------- -------Bush-------- Pos. Neg. No op. Pos. Neg. No op. 9/6/00 70 23 7 62 30 8 Compare to: He s running a positive campaign. ------Gore------ -----Bush------ Yes No No op. Yes No No op. 4/2/00 69 23 7 58 35 7 2/27/00 66 27 7 52 42 6 18. On another subject, do you think abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, Illegal in most cases or Illegal in all cases? --------Legal-------- -------Illegal------- All Most All Most No NET cases cases NET cases cases opin. 9/6/00 55 20 35 42 16 25 3 7/23/00 53 20 33 43 17 26 4 7/23/00 53 20 33 43 17 26 4 9/2/99 56 20 37 42 15 26 2 3/14/99 55 21 34 42 15 27 3 7/12/98 54 19 35 42 13 29 4 8/5/96 56 22 34 41 14 27 3 6/30/96 58 24 34 40 14 25 2 10/1/95 60 26 35 37 12 25 3 9/21/95 60 24 36 36 11 25 4 7/17/95 59 27 32 40 14 26 1 19. (asked of half sample) Which of these do you think should be the top priority for any surplus money in the federal budget - cut federal income taxes, put it toward reducing the national debt, strengthen the Social Security system, or increase spending on other domestic programs? Cut taxes Reduce debt Soc. Sec. Dom. Progs. No opin. 9/6/00 21 26 39 12 1 7/23/00 17 23 41 17 2 8/27/00 25 16 42 14 3

7/23/00 18 22 40 18 2 9/2/99 20 24 43 13 1 7/25/98 22 19 47 10 2 3/14/99 20 21 47 10 2 1/31/98 17 23 47 10 2 1/19/98 16 29 39 14 1 20. (asked of half sample) Which of these do you think should be the top priority for any surplus money in the federal budget - cut federal income taxes, put it toward reducing the national debt, strengthen the Social Security system, or increase spending on other domestic programs such as education or health care? Cut taxes Reduce debt Soc. Sec. Dom. Progs. No opin. 9/6/00 14 19 36 29 1 7/23/00 15 20 32 30 2 8/27/00 16 13 29 40 2 7/23/00 15 19 32 33 2 9/2/99 14 19 29 37 1 21. Which of these would you prefer: (A large tax-cut plan that provides an across-the-board tax cut for everyone), or (A smaller tax cut plan that provides targeted tax cuts mainly for lower and middle-income people). Large cut Smaller cut No opinion 9/6/00 45 53 2 22. On another subject, in areas where the local public schools are not meeting state standards, would you support or oppose the federal government giving parents money to send their children to private or religious schools instead? Support Oppose No opinion 9/6/00 44 54 2 4/2/00* 45 53 3 4/2/00* 46 51 3 *"In areas where the local public schools are not improving..." 23. Would you support or oppose a plan in which people who chose to could invest some of their Social Security contributions in the stock market? Support Oppose No opin. 9/6/00 59 37 4 5/10/00 63 32 5 5/10/00 64 31 5 24. In the past eight years, do you think the U.S. military has gotten (stronger), gotten (weaker), or stayed about the same? Stronger Weaker Same No opin. 9/6/00 12 47 40 1 25. Do you think candidates for president should publicly discuss their religious beliefs, or keep their religious beliefs to themselves?

Discuss Keep to Themselves No opin. 9/6/00 39 57 4 1/23/00 45 47 7 26. Thinking about the U.S. House of Representatives election in November in the congressional district where you live, if that election were being held today, for whom would you vote: (the Democratic candidate) or (the Republican candidate)? Registered voters: Net leaned vote: Neither Wouldn't Democrat Republican (vol.) vote (vol.) No opin. 9/6/00 49 42 2 1 6 7/23/00 46 45 3 1 5 2/27/00 45 46 2 1 5 10/31/99 50 43 3 1 3 Call for full trend. Likely voters: Net leaned vote: Neither Wouldn't Democrat Republican (vol.) vote (vol.) No opin. 9/6/00 47 46 2 * 5 27. Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with the following statement: Al Gore is too close to Bill Clinton to provide the fresh start the country needs. (GET ANSWER THEN ASK: Do you feel that way strongly, or only somewhat?) --------Agree--------- -------Disagree------- No NET Strngly Smewht NET Strngly Smewht opin. 9/6/00 42 29 13 56 34 23 2 8/20/00 39 28 11 58 37 21 2 8/10/00 47 35 13 50 30 20 2 3/11/00 50 36 14 48 28 20 2 3/11/00 50 34 15 48 26 23 2 2/27/00 49 34 15 49 29 20 1 9/2/99 48 31 18 49 27 21 3 28. Do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of Clinton as a person? Favorable Unfavorable No opinion 9/6/00 35 62 3 8/20/00 35 61 3 8/10/00 34 62 4 12/15/99 32 65 3 1/26/00 34 61 5 12/15/99 36 62 2 9/2/99 38 59 3 3/14/99 30 67 4 3/4/99 40 54 6 12/15/98 41 56 3 11/1/98 42 54 4 11/1/98 LV 37 60 3 29. Do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of Bill Clinton's

policies and programs? Favorable Unfavorable No opinion 9/6/00 61 37 2 8/20/00 64 33 3 8/10/00 61 36 3 12/15/99 60 38 2 ***END***