The Convention Bounce Kerry Didn't Get

Good news:

VERONA, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 3, 2004--The number of Americans who think George W. Bush will be re-elected in November has suddenly jumped 10 to 20 points in dozens of cities around the country, according to SurveyUSA tracking polls conducted before, during and after the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.
SurveyUSA has been asking respondents not who they will vote for, but rather: who they think will win the presidential election in November. This question is more sensitive to changes in sentiment, and is designed to capture "momentum" swings more precisely than preference questions asked of likely voters. Tracking polls released today, 9/3/04, the day after the Republican National Convention ended, show sizeable swings in the public consciousness.
Examples:
-- In New York City, the number of adults who say Bush will win jumped from 39% on 7/22 (the week before the DNC) to 58% today: 19 points up for Bush, 17 points down for Kerry.
-- In Los Angeles, the number who say Bush will win jumped from 38% on 7/22 to 59% today: 21 points up for Bush, 18 points down for Kerry.
-- In Pittsburgh, Bush went from 44% to 64%: 20 points up for Bush, 19 points down for Kerry.
Each poll was conducted of an entire metropolitan area, known as a TV market, and defined by Nielsen Media Research as the "Designated Market Area" (DMA). In no metropolitan area, in any part of the country, did Kerry's numbers go up. Four separate polls of 500 adults each were conducted in 30 TV markets and in 2 states. (128 discrete pieces of opinion research; 64,000 separate telephone interviews.) Each survey has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.5%.
The polls were conducted:
-- 7/22/04: The week before the DNC
-- 7/30/04: The day after Kerry's acceptance speech
-- 8/26/04: The week before the RNC
-- 9/3/04: The day after Bush's acceptance speech.
"The Democrats are eviscerated," says Jay H. Leve, Editor of SurveyUSA. "Even in the most solidly Democratic corners of this country, a majority of adults suddenly believe that George W. Bush will win in November."