John Kerry improved his standings in the latest Zogby Interactive poll of likely voters in 16 battleground states, apparently helped by his selection of his onetime rival, John Edwards of North Carolina, as running mate. Of the 16 states, Mr. Kerry now leads in 12, up from the nine states he held three weeks ago. Mr. Bush holds three states, down from seven, and the candidates are tied in one state, Tennessee. The poll, conducted July 6-10, started the same day Mr. Kerry announced his choice for his No. 2.

The latest poll returns Mr. Kerry to the nationwide edge he lost in this poll three weeks ago. Presuming that all the states go to the current leading candidates and that the other 34 states go as they did in the 2000 election, Mr. Kerry would get 322 electoral votes and Mr. Bush would get 205. This tally excludes Tennessee's 11 electoral votes.

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