Poll: Kerry Gaining Among Swing Voters

By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) gained some ground on President Bush (news - web sites) among swing voters in the last month, with several citing the presidential debates as a factor in their shift, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press called back 519 voters who were either undecided in September or said they could still change their minds. That group tilted toward Bush in September and is now evenly split on Bush and Kerry.

By more than 3-to-1, the swing voters said Kerry did the better job in the debates.

Swing voters "have been drifting toward Kerry a little more than Bush," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center. "But everything about the remaining slice of the electorate says it's pretty much even."