WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush is ahead of Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., by one point in Thursday's Rasmussen Tracking Poll.
Bush's 45 percent to 44 percent lead is statistically insignificant and within the survey's 3 percent margin of sampling error. However, says pollster Scott Rasmussen, "it marks the first time Bush has outpolled Kerry" since former national security aide Richard Clarke appeared before the commission looking into the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In the Rasmussen survey released immediately prior to Clarke's testimony, Bush led Kerry by 3 points. After Clarke's testimony, Kerry took a 4 point lead over Bush, a 7 point swing overall. Kerry's numbers have fallen as the impact of Clarke's testimony has faded, Rasmussen says. The tracking poll of 1,500 likely voters nationwide was conducted March 29-31.
