WASHINGTON – Howard Dean (search) maintains a double-digit lead over rival John Kerry (search) in a New Hampshire poll of likely voters in the state's Democratic presidential primary.
The poll by American Research Group (search) of Manchester, N.H., showed Dean, the former Vermont governor, leading Massachusetts Sen. Kerry, 29 percent to 19 percent. The remaining candidates, including newcomer Wesley Clark, were in the single digits, and 29 percent remained undecided.
Dean held a 10-point lead over Kerry in the group's September poll.
Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut received 6 percent support, Clark 5 percent and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina 3 percent. Carol Moseley Braun and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio were at 1 percent and Al Sharpton zero percent.
While nine in 10 in the poll said they were aware of Clark, almost half of the sample said they don't know enough about him to form an opinion. Clark, the retired Army general, was at 2 percent in the September poll.
Almost two-thirds in the poll, 63 percent, had favorable opinions of Dean and Kerry.
The poll of 600 Democrats and independents who say they are likely to vote in the Democratic primary was conducted Oct. 5-8 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
New Hampshire's primary is tentatively set for Jan. 27.
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