Dean slips, Clark gains in N.H.

A barrage of criticism from his rivals appears to have taken a dramatic toll on Howard Dean's advantage in New Hampshire, and retired General Wesley K. Clark is benefiting from questions about whether the former Vermont governor is the best candidate to handle the war on terrorism, according to a new Boston Globe/WBZ-TV poll.

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The latest poll indicates Dean still leading in New Hampshire, but the 23 percentage-point advantage he enjoyed in December has been cut to nine points. His support is down from 42 percent in a Globe/WBZ-TV poll in December to 32 percent in the latest poll, conducted this week. And the man breathing down Dean's neck is Clark. According to the survey of 400 likely Democratic primary voters, 32 percent favor Dean, 23 percent prefer Clark, and 12 percent support Massachusetts Senator John F. Kerry, formerly Dean's closest rival. The gap has narrowed as other candidates have hammered away at Dean in debates and speeches over the past month.

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For months, Dean's rivals have been criticizing him for refusing to unseal documents from his time as governor of Vermont, for what they say are inconsistent statements on domestic issues like Medicare, and for ill-considered remarks on Iraq and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. They have argued repeatedly that he will not be able to beat President Bush in November. Though other campaigns had expressed frustration that their criticisms seemed to be rolling off Dean, their barbs now seem to be finding their mark.

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The other candidates will only have a week to focus attention on Clark after the results in Iowa are known, but analysts said the heightened scrutiny could have the same effect on Clark that it had on Dean. And the poll indicated that, out of Dean, Kerry, and Clark, the latter's supporters might be the most easily persuaded to switch their loyalties. More than 25 percent who chose Clark said they might change their minds before the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 27. Seventeen percent of Dean supporters say they might change their minds, and 16 percent of Kerry supporters might do so. Martha Bauman of Keene is making her final decision in the primary on the basis of who has the best chance of beating Bush in November. Bauman, 72, is leaning toward Clark, because she believes the retired general would do better than her previous favorite, Kerry, against Bush.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/01/16/dean_slips_clark_gains_in_nh/