Bush is also attracting consistent support across the breadth of his party in the GOP contest. The Times Poll, supervised by poll director Susan Pinkus, surveyed 571 likely Democratic and 557 likely Republican caucus-goers from Jan. 12 through Jan. 16. Iowa will begin the voting in the battle for the parties' presidential nominations on Monday, as activists gather for 2,142 precinct caucuses around the state.
Partisans assemble in small meetings to state their preferences for president.
Although the poll finds that some opinions remain fluid, most voters look to be locking in on their decision. In a state where presidential politics has become a nearly permanent sideshow, it isn't surprising that large numbers of likely caucus-goers said they watched the recent presidential debates here. Sharon Verploeg, a Newton homemaker who responded to the poll, was considering Forbes but switched to Bush when he picked Jesus in the debate. The two races present very different profiles. The Democratic contest is marked by sharp demographic divides in attitudes toward the contenders.