NEW YORK -- Walter Mondale and Gary Hart slugged it out for another hour in a televised debate Sunday as the Democratic front-runners battled for votes in the closing hours before Tuesday's key New York primary.
Mondale took the offensive in the debate, while Hart contended that New Yorkers are fed up with his constant attacks. Jesse Jackson, still trying to play peacemaker in the Democratic contest, at one point accused his rivals of ignoring him.
The latest ABC-Washington Post poll, which has a good track record so far in the campaign, said the former vice president has a lead in New York, where 252 national convention delegates are at stake, although Hart was gaining slightly Sunday night.
The poll tracks the ups and downs of popularity over the final days before the primary.
It gave Mondale 41 percent, Hart 30 percent and Jackson 22 percent, with a margin of error of 6 percent. Earlier Sunday, the poll gave Mondale 41 percent, Hart 28 percent and Jackson, who continues to attract a massive black vote, 21 percent.
But even more important than a popular vote victory in New York is the battle for delegates. The latest United Press International delegate count gives Mondale 728 of the 1,967 needed for nomination while Hart has 440 and Jackson 101. There are 325 uncommitted.
Following the debate, Mondale headed for Buffalo, the second largest pocket of Democratic votes in the state and a steel town where he is expected to do well among the heavy union and ethnic vote.
Hart went running in Central Park with supporters and scheduled a fund-raising dinner with John Denver, Hal Linden, Marlo Thomas and author Stephen King.
For the first 20 minutes of the debate on WNBC, Hart and Mondale tried to get along, but they soon started fighting again on Central America and other key issues that have made their campaign a bitter feud in recent weeks.
Mondale complained about a Hart televison advertisement 'accusing me of wanting to kill people in Central America.'
'When you go beyond the facts to say things of that kind, I think it is negative, it is personal, it is inaccurate, and it raises concerns that are totally unjustified,' Mondale said.
Hart replied that Mondale is lashing out now that he no longer has a clear shot at the Democratic nomination.
'The fact of thematter, and Fritz knows it, is within hours if not days of our upset victory in New Hampshire ... (the Mondale campaign) went totally negative.'
Mondale accused Hart of switching to favor moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem only to cater to the heavy Jewish vote in New York.
'He transferred that embassy to Jerusalem the same time he transferred his headquarters from Chicago to New York,' Mondale said.
Hart retorted: 'The voters of New York State are fed up with this. They're fed up with this penny ante, picky business, when they know Walter Mondale and I are equally committed to the survival of Israel.'
Jackson said when the two candidates argued on who would more quickly withdraw Americans from Central America they tried to ignore him.
'They do not have any right to go back on this issue again and ignore me,' he said, calling the debate an 'attempt to neglect my presence.'
'I have a Central American position also,' Jackson said. 'I want to be tolerated, I want to be respected and I want to be heard.'
