Candidates Get Down To Specifics

"Dowd said most of the undecided voters are in suburban precincts, most are white and they tend to be older. There are roughly equal numbers of men and women, and more of the undecideds are churchgoers than in the partisan ranks, he said. Traditionally, undecided voters split heavily against an incumbent president. But Dowd said that, compared with April, when the undecided pool appeared tilted in Kerry's direction, they now are as likely to support Bush as the Massachusetts senator.

Polling shows that jobs and the economy are the No. 1 concern of voters, and they have been the staple of Kerry's campaign all year. Democrats contend that overall, incomes have declined since Bush took office, and they say that the tax cuts at the heart of his economic policy have increased inequality and left millions of workers and their families struggling to pay bills. "More.: