First Debate Polls Favor Kerry

John Kerry "fared better" than President Bush in last night's presidential debate, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll. Of those who watched, 53% said Kerry did the better job, compared with 37% who favored Bush. "Kerry's chief strength: 60 percent said he expressed himself more clearly than Bush did."
The ABC News poll shows Kerry "won the first debate and with it a shot at reinvigorating his campaign for the presidency." Kerry was the winner 45% to 36%.
A CBS News instant poll of uncommitted voters found Kerry won 43% to 28%. A key observation: "Bush appeared perturbed when Kerry leveled some of his charges, scowling at times and looking away in apparent disgust at others. Kerry often took notes when the president spoke."
The American Research Group also found Kerry the overwhelming winner, with two survey panels saying Kerry was the victor. Panel 1 was 51% to 41%, Panel 2 was 52% to 42%.
A Democracy Corps survey found Kerry "decisively won tonight's presidential debate by a margin of 45 to 32 percent. Kerry gained a modest two points in the head-to-head race with Bush, cutting in half Bush's initial lead in the survey, but measures of Kerry's standing on key personal attributes and top issues suggest Kerry made much more significant gains among likely voters who watched the debate. The Democratic candidate achieved major gains across the board on personal favorability, the security issues that dominated the debate, and key leadership attributes."