HOPELESS:

Bush holds 9-point lead in Arkansas (David Robinson, 10/10/04, Arkansas News)

South Arkansas voters - often advantage-Democrats - have contributed to a 9-point lead for President Bush over rival Sen. John Kerry, according to a new independent poll.

The Republican Bush leads Kerry, a Democrat from Massachusetts, 52 percent to 43 percent, according to the poll commissioned by the Arkansas News Bureau and Stephens Media Group.

The poll shows Kerry losing by 17 points in southern Arkansas and even with Bush among women.

Ralph Nader, the Populist Party candidate, got 1 percent.

The results were a surprise to Ernie Oakleaf of Opinion Research Associates Inc., which conducted the survey Monday through Wednesday.

"Everything that I had heard so far was that it was a very tight race," Oakleaf said.

Heard from who? The media?

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 10, 2004 1:48 PM