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Gallup Poll: Bush Perceived as Stronger Candidate on Foreign Policy

Aired August 1, 2000 - 11:09 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: With tonight's session having that strong military flavor, let's check on some of America's attitudes regarding defense as a political issue.

For that, Frank Newport, live in Princeton, Gallup Poll editor- in-chief, with more on this.

Hey, Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Good morning, Bill.

Let's put some numbers to what Stu and some others have been saying there. In fact, foreign policy issues are not at the top of America's agendas. This is a poll we did last week: How important to your presidential vote will these issues be? Education, the motif last night, was number one, 89 percent said it was important, then health care. But go down kind of near the bottom of the list, national defense was 70 percent. And only 58 percent of Americans in general, say that foreign affairs were important to their vote.

But unlike last night, where we found that education was more important to independents and Democrats than Republicans, this is, as I think Stu pointed out, a Republican issue. How important are defense? the red bars and the yellow bar, foreign policy, to your vote? Well, Republicans over there in the left, you can see the two bars are higher. Independents and Democrats, the bars are somewhat lower. So it's an issue that's more important to Republicans than the people they're going to try to reach to try put together the coalition for the fall. Nevertheless, they obviously think it's important.

This is very interesting, this is an issue, these two issues, on which George W. Bush is doing pretty well. We've tracked Bush versus Gore from last March and through April. But in most recent poll last week, after the Cheney announcement, Bush had moved to 14-point lead over Al Gore in terms of who would do the better job handling foreign affairs. Bush, of course, has no personal experience to speak of as governor of Texas, Gore does.

Look at this: on national defense, same thing. Gore's been a congressman, a senator and vice president, Bush has been a two-term governor, who would do the better job on national defense? you can see Bush 58, Gore 31. An amazing difference there, based on the reality of the situation. Probably due to Cheney, probably due to George the Elder, George W. is getting some rub-off from his father, we think.

Finally, the speaker tonight, Bill, is John McCain. How well does he do overall? Well, among Republicans, very well. But you can see among independents and Democrats, his favorables, the red bars, are somewhat lower. But that's because he has an unfavorable, that's pretty low as well if you can see the yellow bars, he's just less well-known to those people. All-in-all, our take on John McCain is he has a pretty broad appeal across the spectrum. So people will be watching him with some positive starting point as he steps to the podium tonight.

Bill, that's where the public stands on this second day of the convention, back to you.

HEMMER: OK, Frank, Frank Newport, live in Princeton, New Jersey, not to far from where we are here in Philadelphia.

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