Yet another survey has found a narrowing of Democrat Bob Casey's lead in his challenge to incumbent U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.

Strategic Vision, an Atlanta-based public affairs firm, released a new survey yesterday depicting the Democratic state treasurer's support among likely voters at 47 percent, with 41 percent for Mr. Santorum, 4 percent for Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli and 8 percent undecided.

Without the Green Party candidate in the mix, the results were nearly identical, with 48 percent for Mr. Casey, 41 percent for the incumbent and 11 percent undecided.

The survey of 1,200 voters, which had a theoretical margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent, was also consistent with other recent polls in showing Gov. Ed Rendell leading his Republican opponent, Lynn Swann. The Democrat, who has far outspent his challenger, had the support of 51 percent of those surveyed compared with 41 percent for Mr. Swann.

The results were released the day after Mr. Swann appeared with President Bush at a mid-state fund-raising event. They showed that while the president may still be a reliable fund-raiser for GOP candidates, his popularity in the state continues to languish.

Just 32 percent of the voters questioned said they approved of the overall job Mr. Bush is doing as president. Mr. Bush's weakest reviews came on the economy, with only 25 percent expressing approval of his performance.

In the survey, which was conduced after the British arrests of suspected airline bombers, the president's strongest suit was the war on terror, with 50 percent saying they approved of his performance.

Only 34 percent of voters said they approved of the president's handling of the Iraq war, but a plurality, 47 percent, said they opposed immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops, an approach favored by 37 percent.