Some Republicans drop Bush allegiance to vote for Kerry

They might sound like members White House contender John Kerry's Democratic Party, but these Bush detractors are actually Republicans unhappy with the president who have been spotted at several pro-Kerry rallies.

As Kerry traveled through the US heartland to court undecided voters in the last two weeks, several Republicans disappointed with the Bush administration attended the Democrat's campaign events.

In Las Vegas, Nevada, Marcia Forkos earned an embrace from Kerry after voicing her support for his candidacy.

"As a registered Republican, I work very hard to see that you are elected," Forkos told Kerry.

"This administration is polarizing this country. There have been too many secrets," she said, calling Kerry an "honest person" who can "bring us together."

In Colorado, Frank and Dixie Pfeiff drove 150 kilometers (93 miles) to greet Kerry as he arrived by train in the mountain state's town of Lamar.

"We're Republicans, but we could be swayed," said Frank Pfeiff, a truck driver. Bush, he said, is mishandling the war in Iraq.

"I like what I see so far," he said of Kerry, noting that, like him, the candidate served in the Vietnam war.

Kerry has discarded Republican attacks accusing him of being a liberal, which in the United States is used to describe leftists and can spell political trouble for presidential candidates.