According to a recent poll by Scott Rasmussen Public Opinion Research, 36 percent of Americans believe that Al Gore really won the last presidential election, but only 23 percent believe the country would be better off today with Gore in the White House.
A slight majority, 52 percent, disagree with the statement that the former Vice President won the last presidential election, while 12 percent aren't sure. A larger majority, 56 percent, believes that the country is better off today with Bush as president, while another 12 percent say it would be pretty much the same with either man in office.
The findings are from a national telephone survey of 1,000 adults conducted on April 22 and 23. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.
The survey also found that 55 percent of Americans now believe that George W. Bush is closer to their views on most issues than Al Gore. Thirty-six percent say that their views are closer to those of Gore.
The poll found that 58 percent of Americans say Bush is a better leader. Only 23 percent believe that is true of Gore.