PM's Seat in Doubt as Rudd becomes preferred PM

If a federal election was held today, Prime Minister John Howard would lose his own seat, a new poll has found.

And in a separate poll Opposition leader, Kevin Rudd, has overtaken Mr Howard as preferred prime minister, leading the PM by a Newspoll record of 10 points - 47 per cent to 37 per cent.

Mr Rudds politicla honeymoon is continuing with his approval rating up to 68 per cent, the highest for any Federal Opposition leader in 21 years.

Mr Howard holds the Sydney seat of Bennelong, traditionally a relatively safe-Liberal seat, but one which has been increasingly marginal because of demographic and boundary changes.

It requires a swing of 4.3 per cent to fall.

Bennelong is one of the 16 seats Rudd would have to win if he is to become the next Prime Minister.

Roy Morgan Research and Crikey.com.au held a telephone poll of almost 400 Bennelong voters and found 55 per cent supported Labor on a two-party preferred basis.

And 49 per cent said Kevin Rudd would be a better prime minister than Mr Howard, who scored 47 per cent.

Labor holds a commanding lead in all the major opinion polls

Morgan has typically recorded a much higher Labor vote generally than other pollsters and was embarrassed last Federal Election when its prediction was very wrong. Late last year it said Labor was a clear 18 per centage points ahead of the Government!