Polls show tightening presidential race, support for marriage bans

A new poll of voters in Michigan, considered an important swing state in the presidential election, has found support for John Kerry at 47% and President Bush at 42%, and the pollster says the contest seems to be tilting in the challenger's direction. The poll of 601 likely voters on October 21 has a margin of sampling error of four percentage points, up or down. "Kerry's 47-42 lead is technically within the poll's margin of error. But it certainly looks good for John Kerry in Michigan," said Steve Mitchell, whose company conducted the poll for The Detroit News. The poll also found that 1% back independent Ralph Nader, with 10% undecided or not saying. An October 18-20 Mitchell poll of 600 likely state voters had Bush at 46%, Kerry at 43%, and Nader at 1%, with 10% undecided or not saying. Two recent polls for other news organizations and with the same margin of error also have been published recently. What is happening in Michigan mirrors recent polls in other swing states, including Ohio, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Florida, where the presidential race remains tight. The latest Michigan poll also asked the likely voters their opinion on a statewide ballot issue that would ban same-sex marriage. Proposal 2 would enshrine the ban in the state's constitution. Sixty percent said they were in favor, 35% said they were opposed, and 5% said they were undecided or would not say. That result mirrored recent polls in most of the 10 other states with similar bans on their November ballots.