WASHINGTON -- A Newsweek poll Saturday had George Bush and John Kerry tied at 46 percent each, and Ralph Nader at 2 percent among U.S. registered and likely voters.

However, among likely voters, the Republican Bush/Dick Cheney ticket was favored by 48 percent, while the Democratic Kerry/John Edwards' ticket was favored by 46 percent, with Nader, favored by 1 percent.

In a two-way race among registered voters, Bush/Cheney and Kerry/Edwards were tied at 47 percent, with 6 percent undecided, but among likely voters, the Bush/Cheney ticket lead 48 percent to 47 percent for Kerry/Edwards.

Last week, the Newsweek poll found that among likely voters George Bush led by 50 to Kerry's 45 percent.

Twenty-five percent of the registered voters said terrorism and homeland security was the most important issue of the election, followed by 21 percent who said the situation in Iraq, 20 percent who said the economy and 13 percent who said health care, including Medicare.

The telephone poll of 1,008 registered voters ages 18 and older was conducted Oct. 21-22 by Princeton Survey Research Associates and has a margin of error of plus/minus four percentage points.

Copyright 2004 by United Press International