By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – Alabama Democrats say they're now more concerned about President Bush's margin of victory in the state. They acknowledge that it's likely that the President will carry Alabama in the November Second presidential election. But they now say if the incumbent Republican wins by a big margin...that could hurt Democratic candidates farther down the ticket. Challenger John Kerry's state campaign manager says, conversely, the better Democrats do at the top of the ticket, the better the party as a whole will do on down the ticket. Recent polls show Bush leading Kerry in Alabama by 20 percentage points or more, but party leaders on both sides say the race is closer because pollsters have trouble measuring the traditionally Democratic black vote in Alabama. State Republican Party Chairman Marty Connors says he's expecting President Bush to get about 55 to 57 percent of the vote.