A new statewide poll shows Democratic Attorney General Larry EchoHawk still leading the race for governor, but that other candidates may be closing the considerable gap.

The poll conducted for the Spokesman-Review and KH

Q-TV in Spokane and KTVB-TV in Boise showed that EchoHawk is far more recognized than other gubernatorial candidates for either party.

With voters only beginning to focus on the race, the poll published in Wednesday's Spokesman-Review also showed that few people have a negative opinion of the one-term attorney general.

But Democrats still could lose their 24-year hold on the governor's office, according to Political-Media Research Inc. of Washington, D.C., which conducted

the telephone poll of 807 randomly selected registered voters Feb. 25 through Feb. 28. The survey has an error rate of 3.5 percent.

It found that Ec

hoHawk was favored by 48 percent of those surveyed and Republican front-runner Phil Batt by 30 percent in a head-to-head general election race. Twenty-two percent were undecided.

A poll conducted in January by Greg Smith & Associates of Boise for KIVI-TV in Nampa and KIDO radio in Boise showed EchoHawk leading Batt a former lieutenant governor, state senate leader and state GOP chairman 57 percent to 27 percent.

''I've said the numbers would tighten up, but it's a good place to start from and I'm very confident I'll make it through the primary,'' EchoHawk said.

He also had the highest favorable rating among the four candidates named in the new survey. Forty-four percent of those polled said their impression of EchoHawk was favorable, 6 percent unfavorable and 47 percent neutral. Three percent did not recognize the Democratic front-runner.

Sixty-six percent of those surveyed in January had a favorable impression of EchoHawk, but 13 percent had an unfavorable impression and 21 percent had no opinion.

His only Democratic opponent, former state Sen. Ron Beitelspacher of Grangeville, was viewed favorably by 9 percent of those surveyed in the new poll and unfavorably by 5 percent. Half those surveyed d

id not recognize his name, and 36 percent were neutral.

In the Democratic primary, 303 likely voters surveyed favored EchoHawk over Beitelspacher 52 percent to 20 percent, with 28 percent undecided. The attorney general's advantage in the January poll was 77 percent to 7 percent with 15 percent undecided.

Beitelspacher was buoyed by the news since the earlier poll was conducted before he officially announced his candidacy.

''As of yet, Larry h

as not had to deal with any of his flip-flops on any of the issues,'' he said.

In the Republican primary, 201 likely voters favored Batt over Boise businessman Larry Eastland 39

percent to 23 percent with 38 percent undecided. That narrowed Batt's advantage over the former state GOP finance chairman in the January poll.

It showed Batt leading 39 percent to 11 percent with 36 percent undecided, but it also included Boise businessmen Doug Dorn with 5 percent, Chuck Winder with 4 percent

Both surveys on the primary races had larger margins of error than the over

all poll.

Twenty percent of all those questioned in the new poll said their opinion of Batt was favorable, 12 percent unfavorable and 33 percent neutral. Thirty-five percent did not recognize him, but that gave Batt an advantage over Eastland, who has never run for public office.

His name was not recognized by 51 percent of those polled. Among those who did know of Eastland, 12 percent viewed him favorably, 6 percent unfavorably and 31 percent were neutral.