Kerry leads in first post-debate poll

WASHINGTON, Oct 2 (AFP) - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, buoyed by a strong success in his televised debate with George W. Bush, has surged back into the lead in their White House race, a Newsweek poll showed Saturday.
The survey, the first released on the race since the debate Thursday, gave Kerry a 49-46 percent edge over Bush in a two-way matchup, and a 47-45 percent margin in a race also involving independent Ralph Nader.
The turnaround came after the debate on foreign policy and security which Newsweek said Kerry clearly won. Its poll showed 61 percent of those who watched the showdown thought the Democrat came off better and 19 percent felt Bush won.