Latest Knight Ridder/MSNBC Poll

Latest Knight Ridder/MSNBC Poll Shows Bush Ahead in Four 'Red' States He Won in 2000 - Arkansas, Ohio, Missouri, W. Virginia; Leads Kerry in Iowa, Which Gore Carried in 2000

Kerry Ahead In Four 'Blue' States Gore Carried in 2000 - Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Pulls Ahead of Bush in Wisconsin

Kerry Leads by One Point in New Hampshire, Which Went for Bush in 2000

SAN JOSE, Calif., and SECAUCUS, N.J., Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The latest results in a new series of election surveys, conducted for MSNBC and Knight Ridder by Mason-Dixon, has found that, on the eve of the election, President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry each maintain leads in key battleground states they or their parties won in the 2000 election. Bush
leads Kerry in four states (labeled "red" for their color coding on maps) - Arkansas, Ohio, Missouri and West Virginia - he carried in 2000. The poll shows Kerry ahead of Bush in four states (labeled "blue" for their color coding on maps) that Gore won in 2000 - Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Kerry leads by one point in New Hampshire, which Bush carried in 2000. In Iowa, which Gore won in 2000, Bush leads Kerry by five points. At least 5% of voters remain undecided in each state.

Three days before Election Day, the Knight Ridder/MSNBC survey offers a detailed look at the shifting state-by-state battleground where the presidency will be decided.

The Knight Ridder/MSNBC survey of 625 likely voters in each of the 10 states was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research on Oct. 26-29 and had an error margin of plus or minus four percentage points.

Following are the poll's top-line results:

If the election were held today would you vote for:

STATE	BUSH	KERRY	NADER	OTHER
Arkansas	51	43	--	--
Missouri	49	44	--	1
New Hampshire	46	47	1	--
Ohio	48	46	--	1
West Virginia	51	43	--	--
Michigan	45	47	1	1
Oregon	44	50	--	1
Pennsylvania	46	48	--	--
Wisconsin	46	48	1	--
Iowa	49	44	1	--

Survey Methodology

The results are the third and final of three series of swing state polls conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research. These polls measure voter favorability and voter preference for top presidential candidates who appear on the 2004 general election state ballot in key states. The polls included questions aimed at exploring the issues that may determine how undecided voters make up their minds. States included in the poll are Arkansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, W. Virginia, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Iowa. The poll was conducted between Oct. 26 and Oct. 29, 2004. The margin of error is +/-4 percent.

About Knight Ridder

Knight Ridder is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with products in print and online. The company publishes 31 daily newspapers in 28 U.S. markets, with a readership of 8.7 million daily and 12.6 million Sunday. Knight Ridder also has investments in a variety of Internet and technology companies and two newsprint companies. The company's Internet operation, Knight Ridder Digital, develops and manages the company's online properties. It is the founder and operator of Real Cities (http://www.realcities.com/), thelargest national network of city and regional Web sites in more than 100 U.S.markets. Knight Ridder and Knight Ridder Digital are headquartered in SanJose, Calif.

About MSNBC

MSNBC is a joint venture between NBC Universal, a leading provider of newsand information, and Microsoft, the leader in personal computer software and amajor provider of Internet online services. Built on the worldwide resourcesof NBC News, MSNBC is a 24-hour cable news network and Internet news serviceat msnbc.com.

About Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc.

Mason-Dixon is an independent polling firm that conducts voter surveys fornews media, advocacy groups, trade associations and political actioncommittees. Mason-Dixon is the nation's most active state pollingorganization, conducting copyrighted public opinion polls for news mediaorganizations in all 50 states. These media clients include over 250 localtelevision affiliates and over 100 daily newspapers. Since 1983, Mason-DixonPolling & Research, Inc. has conducted surveys in every state in the country,on almost every public issue, and tracked every major election and referendum.

SOURCE Knight RidderWeb Site: http://www.knightridder.com/ http://www.realcities.com/