In other August poll action, Kerry has cut into Bush's lead in Washington state and Arizona. And two formerly solidly red states look much more competitive: Colorado and Tennessee were showing virtual ties in mid-month polls.
Of course, convention bounces are a two-way street. Look for Bush to enjoy similar benefits in the state races during and immediately after the Republican convention in New York from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.
Looking for a Sign
From the Ain't-Politics-Grand file: The race for a Dallas-area House seat devolved last week into a heated argument over . . . yard signs.
Reps. Martin Frost (D) and Pete Sessions (R), who are running against each other in one of the most expensive races in the country, traded accusations about who placed Frost's campaign signs around an elementary school attended by Sessions's son.
Sessions angrily claimed that Frost's people put the signs around the school to "intimidate" his son. Frost's campaign countered that Sessions's minions actually stole Frost's signs and placed them at the school to "embarrass" Frost. Both sides deny whatever the other side is saying about them.
By mid-week, the contest took another turn when Frost's campaign produced a police report from 2002 showing that Sessions and a campaign aide had been stopped by Dallas police and questioned about . . . removing campaign signs.
It seems Sessions and an aide were pulling up signs for his then-opponent, Pauline Dixon. No charges were ever filed; Sessions said he was just removing signs that had been placed along the road illegally.
Frost is Texas' most senior congressman. He is running against Sessions in a GOP-leaning district as a result of redistricting.
Staff writer Jonathan Weisman contributed to this report.
