Politics

Bush, Dole Top GOP 2000 Field

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 1, 1999 / 12:50 PM EST / CBS

Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Elizabeth Dole lead the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, according to a new Los Angeles Times poll.

The newspaper said Bush and Dole, the wife of 1996 GOP presidential candidate Bob Dole, showed impressive strength among independent voters. And both bested the Democratic front-runner, Vice President Al Gore, in hypothetical matchups for the presidency.

Among potential GOP candidates, Bush received 39 percent, Dole 25 percent and former Vice President Dan Quayle 17 percent. Other GOP candidates were in the single digits.

Elizabeth Dole

Three potential Democratic candidates also picked up double-digit support in the poll, with Gore grabbing 52 percent, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson getting 17 percent, and House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt picking up 11 percent.

While Gore holds a commanding lead among Democrats, the picture changes when he is matched against Bush. The Texas governor held a comfortable 59-37 percent lead over Gore among registered voters. Bush's lead over Gore among independent voters was even more impressive: 68-27 percent.

And the Texas governor made a better showing with Republicans than the vice president did with Democrats. Bush led among Republicans by an 88-10 percent margin. Gore had a 71-23 percent lead among Democrats.

Al Gore

Elizabeth Dole beat Gore by a 50-42 percent margin in a hypothetical match up for the presidency. She led Gore among independent voters by 53-36 percent.

The nationwide Times poll was conducted Jan. 27-29 and sampled 960 people, including 817 registered voters. The margin of error for registered voters was plus or minus 3.5 percent. A number of factors, including the way questions are worded, can affect the accuracy of poll results.