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A snap poll taken immediately after Friday night's presidential debate found there was no clear winner in the second encounter between Republican President George W. Bush and his Democratic challenger, Senator John Kerry.
Overall, 47 percent of the respondents said Kerry won, while 45 percent said the edge went to Bush, well within the poll's plus-or-minus five percentage point error margin, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup snap poll.
The respondents included 515 registered voters who watched the debate. Their political affiliations broke down as 38 percent Republican, 32 percent Democratic and 30 percent independent.
The poll was a reflection of immediate impressions of voters who watched the debate.
On who could better handle the three key issues of the 2004 campaign -- the economy, Iraq and the war on terror, debate watchers said Bush and Kerry tied at 49 percent each on the economy but said Bush came off as better able to handle the war in Iraq, 53 percent to 46 percent.
Bush was also rated higher than Kerry on managing the overall war on terror, 56 percent to 39 percent.
The incumbent president was under heavy pressure to improve his performance in the second debate after a poor showing in the first face-off last week that eroded his support in the polls. Kerry was rated the clear winner after the first debate, re-energizing what was seen as a lagging campaign.
A poll released by Time magazine on Friday before the debate showed Bush and Kerry were deadlocked with each having the support of 45 percent of likely voters in a three-way race.
The two will meet again in what could be a pivotal final showdown at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, on Oct. 13.
(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2004)
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