Voters Now Prefer Bush on Both the War and Economy

Rasmussenreports ^ | April 30, 2004

[demlosers]

By a 47% to 41% margin, voters say they trust Bush more than Kerry when it comes to the economy.

April 30, 2004--A Rasmussen Reports survey found that 50% trust President Bush more than Senator Kerry when it comes to national defense and the War on Terror. Just 38% now prefer Kerry on these issues.

From the President's perspective, those numbers are a little better than last week, but not as good as two weeks ago.

John Kerry's talk of going to the United Nations first as an Iraq policy is unlikely to be well received by many voters. By a 2-to-1 margin, voters believe our allies should follow the U.S. lead more often rather than having the U.S. follow the lead of others.

A related survey finds that Bush voters are confident that the U.S. is a good role model for the world to follow. However, Kerry voters are not sure if having other nations follow the U.S. lead would make things better or worse.

The issue of national defense presents other challenges for Kerry. Just 11% of voters know that Kerry has called for sending more troops to Iraq on a temporary basis. Seventy-two percent (72%) of his supporters oppose this position.

While voters have a clear preference for Bush on national defense matters, the candidates are more evenly divided when it comes to the managing the economy--47% say that they trust Bush while another 41% have more trust in Kerry.

The candidates have been closely matched on this issue all year.

A related survey found that 37% of Americans say that President Bush is doing a good or excellent job managing the economy. .

Perceptions of how the candidates will handle the economy and the War on Terror are the fundamental issues of Election 2004. Rasmussen Reports will provide weekly updates of the Bush-Kerry comparisons on these issues throughout the campaign.

Rasmussen Reports also provides daily updates on the Presidential Election, the President's Job Approval rating, and on the economic confidence of Consumers and Investors.

The national telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports April 28-29, 2004. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. (see Methodology).

[demlosers]

Survey 1,000 Likely Voters
April 28-29, 2004

National Defense/
War on Terror
Bush 50%
Kerry 38%

Economy
Bush 47%
Kerry 41%

RasmussenReports.com

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

Can you say "four more years?"

[texasflower]

I can!

Four more years!!!!!

[FlashBack]

Let's get this threas rolling......


Four More Years!!!!!!!!!!

[Lancey Howard]

ping

[janee]

curious as to how the numbers will change with different scenario running mates for Kerry. change in percentages will only be temporary, however.

[Delta 21]

The landslide has begun. It will be an avalanche in November.

[CzarNicky]

I still don't believe Rasmussen.

[Kate of Spice Island]

YeeHaw! is damned good policy.

[Tropicalwatcher]

Because there will not be economy under effin Kerry.

[Lady In Blue]

THANKS!! Now I can watch a little TV before bed. You sure brightened my evening. I was feeling a little bit down because of all of the negative stuff coming from the Dems/Media.

[Kate of Spice Island]

Don't give in to the "Darkside" (aka Dems.)

I need to see if I can vote early and often!

[Choose Ye This Day]

John Kerry is deeply troubled.

[cookcounty]

And now, it turns out the future First Lady has an abortion.

Perhaps we should be more understanding. Maybe she just couldn't afford any more children.

[I still care]

Supposedly it was a badly deformed child, conceived in her 40's, that spontaneously aborted before she reached her clinic date. She did intend to abort it, however.

I don't approve, but it is important we have the facts straight.

[finnman69]

ruh roh Ketchup boy....And the economy will be much stronger come November

[BrucefromMtVernon]

I prefer to call statistics "sadistics", which may be a more accurate term.

[ThePythonicCow]

Good grief - that picture of J F'n Kerry looks for all the world like a mortician's still life.

[upchuck]

That's about the most French-looking picture I've ever seen. He really look scheming and conniving.

Not very flattering, that's for sure. Nice plants though.

[Jorge]

Good grief - that picture of J F'n Kerry looks for all the world like a mortician's still life.

It's horrifying. That photo alone could lose the election for Kerry.