Poll of 4 states in Midwest shows Kerry's rating grows

Those polled in Ohio listed the loss of jobs as their biggest concern.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
CHICAGO -- Sen. John Kerry has improved his standing over President Bush in four Midwestern battleground states where domestic concerns of health care and the economy have overtaken the issues of terrorism and Iraq, a new Chicago Tribune poll shows.
In Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin -- among the most contested states in the final three weeks of the campaign -- the president's approval rating is below 50 percent, historically a warning sign for an incumbent. While a slim majority of likely voters in each of those four states say they are dissatisfied with Bush's handling of Iraq and the economy, they still find him to be a strong leader who can better protect the nation from a terrorist strike.
As the candidates prepare for their final face-to-face encounter in a debate tonight in Tempe, Ariz., a forum devoted to domestic issues, voters say they think Kerry would be more likely than Bush to restore jobs and grow the economy. While the Iraq war has dominated the race for months, the poll underscores the re-emerging importance of pocketbook issues.
The impressions from the likely voters, who were surveyed by telephone Friday evening through Monday evening, offer a glimpse into the fluid and uncertain nature of a still-deadlocked national contest. The four Midwest states have been showered with tens of millions of dollars in TV ads and repeated visits by Bush and Kerry.
Advantages by state
The separate, state-by-state polls found Kerry to hold slim leads over Bush in Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota, while Bush maintained a narrow advantage in Iowa. But the findings of the surveys, which questioned 500 likely voters in each state, fall within a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
The poll found that likely voters in the four states placed a greater importance on health care and jobs than they did on terrorism, Iraq, moral issues or taxes. When asked to name their top concern, voters in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin listed health care most commonly, while those in Ohio said the loss of jobs.
The Tribune poll was taken primarily after the second presidential debate Friday in St. Louis, although about one-fifth of the interviews were conducted just before the town hall-style forum.
In each of the four states, Kerry receives stronger support among those 65 and older.
The poll also found that Kerry has closed a perceived gap in likability and has improved his standing among women, a move that strategists say is essential for his candidacy.