Iowa poll has Dean, Gephardt in the lead

By Associated Press, 8/29/2003

WASHINGTON -- Howard Dean and Richard Gephardt are tied for the lead in the Democratic presidential race in Iowa, according to a poll of likely caucus voters.

Dean, former governor of Vermont, was at 25 percent and Gephardt, the Missouri congressman, was at 21 percent. The poll was conducted by Research 2000 for KCCI-TV of Des Moines and KIMT-TV of Mason City.

The difference between the two was within the error margin of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts was at 16 percent, and Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut was at 12 percent. The rest of the field was in single digits. Senator John Edwards of North Carolina was at 6 percent; retired Army General Wesley Clark, who is considering a presidential run, was at 3 percent; and US Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Senator Bob Graham of Florida were at 1 percent. Carol Moseley Braun and Al Sharpton were at 0 percent.

A survey taken late last month by The Des Moines Register had similar results with Dean and Gephardt basically tied in the low 20s, and Kerry and Lieberman the only other candidates in double digits.

Polling in Iowa is traditionally difficult because it is hard for pollsters to identify the relatively small number of activists who will participate in the Jan. 19 caucuses. There are more than 600,000 registered Democrats in the state, but only about 100,000 take part in the caucuses.

Dean has a 21-point lead over Kerry in the most recent New Hampshire poll; the state holds its presidential primary about a week after the caucuses.

The poll of 403 likely caucus voters was taken Aug. 25-27.