CAMPAIGN ’88 : Poll Finds Candidates Are Tied in California

Democrat Michael S. Dukakis and Republican George Bush are locked in a virtual dead heat in the key battleground state of California, according to an NBC News presidential poll released Monday night.

The poll, conducted Sept. 6-8, shows Bush leading Dukakis 44% to 42%. However, the 3-percentage-point margin of error puts the race at a statistical tie in a state that offers 47 electoral votes, more than any other.

While Bush is favored among whites (49%-38%) and men (48%-41%), Dukakis leads among blacks (67%-16%), Latinos (55%-37%) and women (55%-37%), the poll suggests.

Twenty-three percent of Reagan Democrats, heavily courted by both presidential candidates, say they will vote for Bush on Election Day. Only 4% of all remaining Democrats say they will support the Republican ticket.

Among the 1,201 registered voters polled, Democratic vice presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen was deemed more favorable than his Republican counterpart Dan Quayle by a 2-1 margin. Bentsen also led Quayle 2 to 1 on the issue of which vice presidential candidate would do a better job as President.