Two major polls released in the days after the Republican National Convention in New York showed President George W. Bush ahead of Democratic challenger John Kerry by double digits. Time magazine put Bush at 52 percent against Kerry's 41, while Newsweek had the margin at 54 to 43. Both surveys carried a margin of error of four percentage points.
Bush campaigned in Parkersburg, West Virginia on Sunday, his second visit to the state in a single week, speaking to a large stadium crowd. He expressed confidence that he would carry West Virginia in the November 2 election.
Kerry's campaign announced plans for an aggressive week-long push focused on Bush's domestic record, targeting job losses, the growing federal deficit, and healthcare costs. Party chairman Terry McAuliffe said the campaign would fight back "using Bush's own record" across contested battleground states.
Bush strategist Matthew Dowd acknowledged what he described as a fundamental shift in the race but predicted the gap would narrow by the time debates began. He noted that no challenger had ever recovered from a double-digit deficit following an incumbent party's convention. Senior Kerry advisor Tad Devine attributed the polling numbers to what he called misrepresentations made during the convention.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in September 2004, in its own words.