Down to the wire

摘要

Just over two weeks to go. The race is tied. The differences are sharper. And new, very different strategies are emerging for running the final lap. The three debates have changed the dynamics of the contest. Before them, George Bush was ahead in the horse race by five or six points, if you average out the polls. Just 39% of voters then said they regarded John Kerry favourably, compared with 53% who said the same of Mr Bush. Mr Bush was weak in the first debate, allowing Mr Kerry to win it convincingly; the second was something of a draw (though some saw a narrow Kerry win); and the third, on early impressions, went to Mr Kerry again. Both men are now regarded with equal favour and, in the Washington Post's tracking poll on the day of the third debate, the challenger was ahead for the first time.