Vice-President Al Gore holds a seaside conference with advisers on the beach in Florida during preparations for his debate with Governor George Bush in Boston. Photograph: Jim Bourg/Reuters
The Vice-President, Mr Al Gore, and his opponent, Governor George Bush, will be back on the campaign trail today, hoping to get a boost in the polls from their performances in the first presidential election debate.
Up to 70 million Americans were expected to watch what was seen as a crucial encounter between the two closely-tied White House contenders. The 90 minute debate at the University of Massachusetts in Boston got under way at 2 a.m. today Irish time.
The stakes were seen as higher for the more inexperienced Mr Bush, who has to show the electorate he has the necessary qualities to guide the world's superpower. He has been Governor of Texas for six years. Mr Gore has spent 16 years in Congress and has been Vice-President for eight years.
In their first face-to-face encounter, Mr Gore had to get across a more relaxed and warmer personality than had been portrayed in the media. He was advised to avoid getting bogged down in policy details and not to be as aggressive as in the primary campaign debates against his Democratic opponent, Mr Bill Bradley.
The results of a new tracking poll released hours before the debate showed Mr Gore opening up a six-point lead over Mr Bush. But a second daily tracking poll showed them level pegging.
The Reuters/MSNBC poll had Mr Gore at 46 points to Mr Bush's 40 points. The same poll showed both men at 44 points last Saturday.
Another daily tracking poll by Gallup for CNN/USA Today showed them tied at 45 points each. The latest Washington Post/ ABC News poll taken at longer intervals shows Mr Gore leading Mr Bush by 48 to 46 points.
Mr Ralph Nader of the Green Party had 3 per cent support and Mr Pat Buchanan of the Reform Party had 1 per cent. Two per cent said they were undecided. Neither Mr Nader nor Mr Buchanan qualified to take part in last night's debate because they had not reached an average of 15 per cent in the opinion polls.
Supporters of both men have been protesting at their exclusion. Green Party members in 18th-century costume threw hollowed-out TV sets into Boston Harbour in a parody of the "Boston Tea Party", which helped set off the War of Independence.
Polls can vary widely in the US according to whether they are based on "registered voters", many of whom will not vote, or on "those likely to vote", which will give a more accurate picture of voting intentions at that time.
Under the format for last night's debate, the two candidates were to stand at separate podiums without any notes or props. They were allowed sheets of blank paper to take notes.
The questions were posed by Jim Lehrer, the long-time presenter of a nightly Newshour programme on public service television. Both candidates were allowed two minutes for a closing statement.
Mr Bush planned to jog and take a nap before the debate, according to his aides. Both men planned to address election rallies in Boston immediately after the debate.
Online
The Irish Times - www.ireland.com
Joe Carroll's report and analysis of the debate is available on ireland.com from early today.
A special site devoted to the US presidential election is now live on ireland.com. It includes the latest news, a tracking poll, profiles, a discussion forum and a look back on the Clinton years. It also features highlights from last night's presidential debate.
The address is: www.ireland.com/special/us-elections.