Kerry see-saws into lead in Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Democratic challenger John F. Kerry nosed ahead of George W. Bush 49 percent to 46 percent in Tuesday's Quinnipiac poll of likely Pennsylvania voters.

Kerry's statistically insignificant 3 point lead among likely voters takes into account undecided voters leaning toward one of the candidates; without leaners, Kerry's lead drops to 2 points, 46 percent to 44 percent. The error margin for the likely voter data is 3.6 points.

Quinnipiac's Sept. 16 poll had Bush ahead 49 percent to 48 percent with leaners and 48 percent to 47 percent without.

Sixty percent of the total sample of 1,125 registered voters said it was likely they would watch the debates: 26 percent percent called them "very important" in determining their vote; 28 percent said they were "somewhat important."

Forty-five percent said they played little or no role in the decision.

Quinnipiac's Clay Richards said, "Rising anti-war sentiment in Pennsylvania has given John Kerry a narrow edge over President Bush."

The image of a Philadelphia businessman "beheaded in Iraq," Richards added, "has been dramatically replayed in the past week" to Kerry's ultimate benefit.

The survey was conducted Sept. 22-26. The overall sample has an error margin of 2.9 points.