MANCHESTER, N.H. — With just five days left until the much-anticipated New Hampshire primary (search), Democratic presidential hopefuls were sharpening their wits in preparation for a Fox News Channel-sponsored debate to be aired on FNC Thursday at 8 p.m. EST.
The face-off was likely to have a new focus for attacks: Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (search), who was still riding the "Iowa bounce" after his caucus win and who had a 10-point lead over former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (search) in New Hampshire, according to a Boston Herald poll published Thursday.
Kerry on Thursday also got the endorsements of the Herald and its The Boston Globe; both have masses of readers in the Granite State.
The Globe called Kerry "the most presidential ... the man we trust to represent American interests across the table from a foreign leader or any powerful interest ... his so-called 'nuanced' thinking is a necessary tool in a world that is no longer black and white."
In the Herald poll of 501 likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire, Kerry had 31 percent to Dean's 21 percent, while retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark (search) had 16 percent.
North Carolina Sen. John Edwards (search) garnered 11 percent and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman (search) 4 percent, less than the poll's 4.4 percent margin of error.
A Fox News New Hampshire tracking poll indicated that Kerry and Dean were in a virtual dead heat. The Fox News poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center (search), gauged opinion from Jan. 18-20; the Herald poll from Jan. 20-21.
The Fox News poll showed that backing for Dean, who came in a distant third in Iowa, dropped 4 percent, while those favoring Kerry increased by 3 percent.
"It's pretty exciting. People who are observing it on the outside are pretty thrilled that we're going into the final weekend where it's totally up in the air — anything can happen," Andrew Cline, editorial page editor for the Manchester Union Leader, told Fox News.
The Union Leader has backed Lieberman.
"Lieberman is a lot more consistent than most of the candidates, and we like that," Cline said Wednesday.
A New Hampshire tracking poll released by American Research Group on Thursday shows Kerry with 27 percent of the vote, Dean with 22 percent, Clark with 19 percent, Edwards with 9 percent and Lieberman with 7 percent; 14 percent were undecided. That poll, conducted from Jan. 19-21, surveyed 811 voters — 573 of whom were Democrats. The margin of error was 4 percentage points.
"I think if you're looking for an upset, look toward John Edwards," said National Review Editor Rich Lowry.
Bypassing Dean in the polls, Kerry is calling himself "Comeback Kerry," but he's also still referring to himself as an "underdog."
"The polls don't matter to me," he told Fox News.
Kerry is saying he has a lot of work to do to prove he's the only candidate who can defeat Bush.
"There's the world the president talks about, and the world that people in New Hampshire are living in today. I think we need a president who tells the American people about the real possibilities of life in this country."
For more campaign news, click to view Foxnews.com's You Decide 2004 page.
The Stumping Continues
Kerry continued to go personal in the Granite State, working overtime to connect with voters while trying to counter his aloof image and capitalize on his success in Iowa.
He is also focusing on other states and has had private talks with Rep. Dick Gephardt, whose departure from the Democratic presidential race on Monday left Missouri a key battleground. Gephardt's backing would be an important factor in Missouri, one of seven states that will hold primaries on Feb. 3.
"This isn't the only place there is a race," Kerry said Thursday from New Hampshire.
At a meeting with voters at a town hall meeting, Edwards continued to push his message that he has a positive vision for America and that he's the man who can beat Bush.
"I am ready for this fight ... you have to give me a shot at George W. Bush and I'll give you the White House," Edwards said.
Clark, who is now facing an uphill battle in New Hampshire, attended a Planned Parenthood breakfast on Thursday, where he said: "I'm comfortable where are in the race, momentum and support," in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Michigan, among other states. "I'm not paying attention to polls, but what I see in voters."
Clark's press manager, Bill Buck, told Fox News on Thursday that the fact that his boss isn't running as negative a campaign as some of his rivals is helping his ratings.
"Our focus on New Hampshire is paying off … we've seen some movement in the polls, that's going to bump up, that's going to bump down," Buck said. New Hampshire voters will be drawn to "Gen. Clark's very positive view of the possibilities of America's future."
Lieberman told reporters after an event in Manchester that he's not looking at the polls but "thinking of the people of New Hampshire, asking them to look at the seven candidates, which one do they have confidence" in to lead the country.
Lieberman and his family even moved into an apartment in Manchester to get closer to New Hampshire voters.
Lieberman said while the debate will be an "important moment," it won't be a "make or break" event but will give him a chance to let voters know he's a "unifier, tough enough to protect the economy and the future."
Dean's Bad Bruising
Dean's early leads have quickly diminished and even disappeared in some polls.
Some political analysts say he actually appears to be imploding and is trying to get back on track.
But the image of his post-Iowa caucus outburst, in which he screamed red-faced into a microphone, still has a lot of people shaking their heads. Late-night talk shows are using the impassioned speech for comic relief, and remixes of the speech featuring the rock band Guns 'N Roses and house music are flying around the Internet at warp speed.
Political strategists say Dean has no one to blame but himself.
"He's in some trouble here with Democratic primary voters," said New Hampshire pollster Dick Bennett. "They're concerned about his behavior. He did it himself. They saw it. It's an emotional thing. It's a feeling thing. People see it, feel uncomfortable and it's very difficult to overcome."
"He's a punch line, and I just don't think he's going to get over it," added Cline.
Dean told a group of supporters Thursday that, "I have my warts. I sometimes say things that get me in trouble," but said voters will see through the flaws.
He made light several times of his political blunder Monday, saying, "I still have not recovered my voice from my screeching in Iowa."
Countering arguments that the media has made Dean into a monster because of his outburst, Lowry said, "the media didn't do this to him, he did it to himself and there's no way to put a positive spin on a presidential candidate screaming 'YAARRR' at the top of his lungs."
The face-off was likely to have a new focus for attacks: Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (search), who was still riding the "Iowa bounce" after his caucus win and who had a 10-point lead over former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (search) in New Hampshire, according to a Boston Herald poll published Thursday.
Kerry on Thursday also got the endorsements of the Herald and its The Boston Globe; both have masses of readers in the Granite State.
The Globe called Kerry "the most presidential ... the man we trust to represent American interests across the table from a foreign leader or any powerful interest ... his so-called 'nuanced' thinking is a necessary tool in a world that is no longer black and white."
In the Herald poll of 501 likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire, Kerry had 31 percent to Dean's 21 percent, while retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark (search) had 16 percent.
North Carolina Sen. John Edwards (search) garnered 11 percent and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman (search) 4 percent, less than the poll's 4.4 percent margin of error.
A Fox News New Hampshire tracking poll indicated that Kerry and Dean were in a virtual dead heat. The Fox News poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center (search), gauged opinion from Jan. 18-20; the Herald poll from Jan. 20-21.
The Fox News poll showed that backing for Dean, who came in a distant third in Iowa, dropped 4 percent, while those favoring Kerry increased by 3 percent.
"It's pretty exciting. People who are observing it on the outside are pretty thrilled that we're going into the final weekend where it's totally up in the air — anything can happen," Andrew Cline, editorial page editor for the Manchester Union Leader, told Fox News.
The Union Leader has backed Lieberman.
"Lieberman is a lot more consistent than most of the candidates, and we like that," Cline said Wednesday.
A New Hampshire tracking poll released by American Research Group on Thursday shows Kerry with 27 percent of the vote, Dean with 22 percent, Clark with 19 percent, Edwards with 9 percent and Lieberman with 7 percent; 14 percent were undecided. That poll, conducted from Jan. 19-21, surveyed 811 voters — 573 of whom were Democrats. The margin of error was 4 percentage points.
"I think if you're looking for an upset, look toward John Edwards," said National Review Editor Rich Lowry.
Bypassing Dean in the polls, Kerry is calling himself "Comeback Kerry," but he's also still referring to himself as an "underdog."
"The polls don't matter to me," he told Fox News.
Kerry is saying he has a lot of work to do to prove he's the only candidate who can defeat Bush.
"There's the world the president talks about, and the world that people in New Hampshire are living in today. I think we need a president who tells the American people about the real possibilities of life in this country."
For more campaign news, click to view Foxnews.com's You Decide 2004 page.
The Stumping Continues
Kerry continued to go personal in the Granite State, working overtime to connect with voters while trying to counter his aloof image and capitalize on his success in Iowa.
He is also focusing on other states and has had private talks with Rep. Dick Gephardt, whose departure from the Democratic presidential race on Monday left Missouri a key battleground. Gephardt's backing would be an important factor in Missouri, one of seven states that will hold primaries on Feb. 3.
"This isn't the only place there is a race," Kerry said Thursday from New Hampshire.
At a meeting with voters at a town hall meeting, Edwards continued to push his message that he has a positive vision for America and that he's the man who can beat Bush.
"I am ready for this fight ... you have to give me a shot at George W. Bush and I'll give you the White House," Edwards said.
Clark, who is now facing an uphill battle in New Hampshire, attended a Planned Parenthood breakfast on Thursday, where he said: "I'm comfortable where are in the race, momentum and support," in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Michigan, among other states. "I'm not paying attention to polls, but what I see in voters."
Clark's press manager, Bill Buck, told Fox News on Thursday that the fact that his boss isn't running as negative a campaign as some of his rivals is helping his ratings.
"Our focus on New Hampshire is paying off … we've seen some movement in the polls, that's going to bump up, that's going to bump down," Buck said. New Hampshire voters will be drawn to "Gen. Clark's very positive view of the possibilities of America's future."
Lieberman told reporters after an event in Manchester that he's not looking at the polls but "thinking of the people of New Hampshire, asking them to look at the seven candidates, which one do they have confidence" in to lead the country.
Lieberman and his family even moved into an apartment in Manchester to get closer to New Hampshire voters.
Lieberman said while the debate will be an "important moment," it won't be a "make or break" event but will give him a chance to let voters know he's a "unifier, tough enough to protect the economy and the future."
Dean's Bad Bruising
Dean's early leads have quickly diminished and even disappeared in some polls.
Some political analysts say he actually appears to be imploding and is trying to get back on track.
But the image of his post-Iowa caucus outburst, in which he screamed red-faced into a microphone, still has a lot of people shaking their heads. Late-night talk shows are using the impassioned speech for comic relief, and remixes of the speech featuring the rock band Guns 'N Roses and house music are flying around the Internet at warp speed.
Political strategists say Dean has no one to blame but himself.
"He's in some trouble here with Democratic primary voters," said New Hampshire pollster Dick Bennett. "They're concerned about his behavior. He did it himself. They saw it. It's an emotional thing. It's a feeling thing. People see it, feel uncomfortable and it's very difficult to overcome."
"He's a punch line, and I just don't think he's going to get over it," added Cline.
Dean told a group of supporters Thursday that, "I have my warts. I sometimes say things that get me in trouble," but said voters will see through the flaws.
He made light several times of his political blunder Monday, saying, "I still have not recovered my voice from my screeching in Iowa."
Countering arguments that the media has made Dean into a monster because of his outburst, Lowry said, "the media didn't do this to him, he did it to himself and there's no way to put a positive spin on a presidential candidate screaming 'YAARRR' at the top of his lungs."
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