WASHINGTON, July 13 (UPI) -- The likely U.S. Democratic team of Sen. John Kerry and Sen. John Edwards lead Republicans George Bush and Dick Cheney by 5 points, USA Today reported.
The USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll of 1,005 adults conducted July 8-11 showed the Democrats had 50 percent support to the Republicans' 45 percent.
In the national poll, Edwards, of North Carolina, didn't help Kerry's draw among Southerners, which was 44 percent before and after Edwards joined the ticket.
Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the Bush campaign, told the newspaper the findings indicate North Carolina remains safely Republican in the presidential election. The state hasn't voted for the Democratic contender since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
The jump in Democratic support since Edwards was taken on is about the same as the 6-point gain Bill Clinton got when he chose Al Gore in 1992, but is less than the 12-point jump among likely voters that George Bush got when he chose Dick Cheney in 2000.
