CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – A new poll puts President Bush ahead of Democrat John Kerry in the swing state of New Hampshire.

The Mason-Dixon poll for MSNBC and Knight-Ridder has Bush at 49 percent and Kerry at 40 percent. The poll of 625 likely voters was conducted Monday through Wednesday. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The poll said 11 percent chose other candidates or were unsure.

A poll in August and two in late July showed Bush and Kerry about even or Kerry slightly ahead in New Hampshire, whose four electoral votes would have made Al Gore president in 2000.

As it was, Bush won New Hampshire by 7,200 votes, just over one percentage point.

In a poll of 600 likely voters by the American Research Group early last month, 49 percent chose Kerry and 42 chose Bush. The margin of error was 4 points. Seven percent of the respondents were undecided and two percent chose Ralph Nader.