(CBS/AP) A new poll indicates Senator John Kerry is ahead of President Bush by six percentage points in Florida, with most voters questioning the president's handling of the economy and the war in Iraq.

The poll for The Miami Herald and the St. Petersburg Times said 49 percent of the 800 registered Florida voters surveyed would choose Kerry. It says 43 percent would pick Mr. Bush, while only five percent are undecided.

The results point to displeasure with key Bush policies. Fifty-three percent of voters disapprove of Mr. Bush's economic policies, and only 46 percent approve of his handling of the war in Iraq.

The survey also indicated voters trusted Kerry more than Mr. Bush to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits - an important issue in a state with a large bloc of elderly voters.

The two candidates are tied nationally. Both are keeping a close eye on Florida, where the 2000 election was decided by 537 votes and 27 electoral votes are at stake.

While Mr. Bush and Kerry may be running neck and neck nationally, there’s no question about who’s ahead in the money race. The president has already amassed a campaign treasury of more than $100 million, and that total will grow today.

Mr. Bush has fund-raisers in Dallas and Houston before returning to the White House from a weekend at his Central Texas ranch, where he played host there to Mexican President Vicente Fox. In between the fund-raisers, the president will visit the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show. The annual festival attracts more than a million visitors a year.

By most accounts, Mr. Bush has a 10-to-1 advantage over Kerry in campaign cash. A two-day fund-raising trip through Texas last July brought Mr. Bush a total of $7 million.

Mr. Bush's trip to Houston comes two days after Kerry campaigned there and slammed him for leaving a "four-year trail of broken promises."

Kerry called on the president to leave his ranch near Waco to "come out and talk to people who have lost their jobs."

The Texas trip also started Mr. Bush's first full week of campaigning for re-election, following Kerry's victory in a wave of primaries last Tuesday that cemented his grip on the Democratic nomination.

Kerry, meanwhile, is campaigning in Florida, with appearances planned in Hollywood, West Palm Beach and Tampa.

It's part of a four-day swing through the South. The region is considered his toughest to win. Throughout his Southern tour, Kerry has been focusing on job losses.

During a visit to Mississippi, Kerry also accused Mr. Bush of "stonewalling" separate inquiries into 9/11 and prewar intelligence from Iraq.

"The American people deserve an answer now as to why we had intelligence failures and what the security needs of our nation are," Kerry said.

The Bush camp called that an "inaccurate attack."

Kerry also said he plans to meet with former Democratic rivals John Edwards and Howard Dean. Aides said a meeting between Kerry and Dean may be scheduled this week, most likely in Washington.

Dean's list of potential donors could help Kerry gain ground on Mr. Bush in the fund-raising derby.

In a separate development, the New York Times reported the Rev. Al Sharpton wants to host his own cable TV and radio shows. Sharpton, who is still a Democratic presidential candidate, has hired the William Morris agency to pursue media deals for him.

The newspaper said Sharpton has held informal talks with Fox about a possible reality TV show.

©MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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