Howard Dean maintained his grip on the top spot in New Hampshire, but presidential rival John Kerry inched up slightly, according to a survey of likely Democratic primary voters.
Forty-five percent of those questioned preferred Dean as the party’s nominee, the same as two weeks ago. But Kerry, the Massachusetts senator, solidified his spot at No. 2, rising from 13 percentage points to 20 percentage points, within weeks of the state’s Jan. 27 primary.
The poll, released Thursday by American Research Group in Manchester, N.H., shows Wesley Clark and Joe Lieberman battling for third, with the support of 8 percent and 6 percent. The results are close to those in a poll released Thursday by New Hampshire and Massachusetts television stations that gave Dean a 46-17 lead.
A poll released Dec. 3 showed Kerry essentially tied with Clark, who had 11 percent. The undecideds remained at 15 percent.
Another noticeable change was Dean’s unfavorable rating, which more than doubled from 7 percent to 19 percent, perhaps attributable to rivals’ stepped-up criticism of the former Vermont governor and a series of negative ads. Lieberman had an unfavorable rating of 40 percent, behind only Al Sharpton’s 51 percent.
Dean’s 72 percent favorable rating remained steady, up 3 percentage points.
The New Hampshire phone survey of 600 likely voters was conducted Dec. 15-17 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.