Berkley, Chairez nearly even

Another 19 percent were undecided. The poll has a 5.5 percentage-point margin of error.

Pollster Del Ali, who conducted the survey for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and KTNV-TV, Channel 13, said the election likely will turn on which candidate does the better job getting voters to the polls. And the scandal surrounding President Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky could help Chairez, he said.

"This is one of the states where Democrats could be hurt (by Clinton)," said Ali, senior vice president of Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research Inc. "Turnout is very critical, and Clinton's fortunes could have a lot to do with how many Democrats go to the polls."

Still, Democrats outnumber Republicans by 30,000 voters in the district, so "if Democratic turnout is average, Berkley wins," Ali said.

Berkley, who has raised more than $1 million in her bid to replace Republican Rep. John Ensign, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, discounted talk of low Democratic turnout and said she is confident she will beat Chairez.

"All politics is local," she said.

"There has been so much publicity about how people might not come out to vote that I think it will propel people to go to the polls. I've talked to a lot of people, and not one has said they won't vote because of Clinton."

Berkley said she will spend the next month focusing on issues such as education, health care, and Social Security, but said her campaign would not hesitate to respond if attacked.

Chairez, meanwhile, was heartened by the results.

"It basically means that a month of negative campaigning by the Berkley campaign has not impacted us," he said, echoing Berkley's comments about television ads the Republican Party has aired against her.

Chairez said he has bought television airtime to run ads that will attempt to contrast his honesty and integrity with Berkley's.

"Who do you want to send to Congress: somebody who wanted to buy off judges, or a judge who couldn't be bought off?" Chairez asked.

Chairez was referring to news reports in June that Berkley encouraged her former boss at the Sands to provide favors and campaign contributions to politicians and judges in exchange for favorable treatment. Berkley has not denied giving the advice but claims she was set up by Sheldon Adelson, chairman of Las Vegas Sands Inc. and a major GOP contributor.

"The fact that this comes out in the middle of a congressional campaign doesn't fool anybody," Berkley said, adding that until this incident "nobody has ever questioned my ethics or my character."

Chairez has three fund raisers planned in coming weeks with three GOP heavyweights: House Speaker Newt Gingrich, House Majority Leader Dick Armey and Elizabeth Dole, wife of former Senate Majority Leader and presidential candidate Bob Dole. Chairez said he has raised about $150,000 since the primary election Sept. 1 and expects the events to add at least $250,000 to his war chest for the campaign stretch.

Berkley said her campaign has about $400,000 left and is continuing to raise money.

Other responses of 359 1st District voters questioned in the poll indicate a close race. Thirty-six percent said they had a positive opinion of Berkley, while 31 percent viewed Chairez favorably. Berkley had an unfavorable rating of 21 percent while 16 percent viewed Chairez unfavorably.

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