WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- A new poll by Rasmussen Reports released Friday shows Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry leading President George W. Bush in a head-to-head match up.
The Rasmussen presidential tracking poll of 1,500 likely voters has the front-running Democrat at 45 percent and the incumbent president at 44 percent, part of an overall Kerry surge that began with his upset victory in the Iowa caucuses.
Kerry's lead is inside the poll's plus or minus 3 percent margin of error but represents, Rasmussen says, a significant shift toward Kerry and away from the president.
The survey, conducted Jan. 27-29, also shows Bush running behind the generic Democrat, 49 percent to 42 percent.
In the race for the Democratic nomination, Rasmussen says, Kerry has twice the support of his nearest rivals, confirming his status as the party's front-runner.
