Gore, who had been trailing Republican rival George W. Bush 48 percent to 38 percent heading into the convention, had been hoping to close the gap or draw even, aides said. He did even better than that. Gore now holds a 48 percent to 42 percent advantage in a four-way race that also includes Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan and Green Party representative Ralph Nader.
In a two-way contest, Gore leads 52 to 44, the Newsweek polls says. The margin of error for the poll is plus or minus four points.
The convention helped Gore improve his ratings on likeability and honesty among the voters. Seven out out of ten voters polled said Gore is personally likeable, compared with 61 percent in the previous week’s poll. And while just 52 percent of poll respondents in that poll considered Gore honest and ethical, nearly two out of three (64%) attributed those qualitites to him in the wake of the convention.
Gore also gained on several key issues, including health care, the economy and Social Security. More than half (54%) of voters said they believe Gore shares their view on most issues, compared to 45 percent last week.
The poll of 806 registered voters also found that Gore has expanded his lead among women; they now favor Gore over Bush, 50 percent to 39 percent, and also made dramatic inroads with men, who in last week’s poll had favored Bush overwhelmingly, 58 percent to 27 percent. The latest poll shows Gore has pulled into a statistical tie with Bush, 46 percent to 44 percent, among male voters.
Gore’s Thursday night address proved particularly successful. Prior to the speech, 55 percent of voters said Gore possessed strong leadership qualities. After the acceptance speech, in which Gore claimed to be “his own man,” 65 percent of those polled said Gore had strong leadership qualitities–compared with 62 percent who say the same about Bush. Polling conducted Thursday, before Gore’s address, showed the race to be virtually even, with Gore holding a 45 percent to 44 percent edge. But among voters interviewed Friday, Gore’s lead grew to a twelve-point margin, 51 percent to 39 percent.
The convention’s success may even extend to Democrats running for Congress, according to the poll. By a margin of 51 to 40, voters questioned now favor the Democratic Congressional candidate in their district over the Republican candidate. The pre-convention poll showed a statistical tie among voters in those House races.
