President Bush Gains in Ohio And Missouri

USA Today reports that President Bush now holds a clear lead over Kerry in the critical battlegrounds states of Missouri and Ohio.

Bush's margins in Missouri and Ohio are the first statistically significant leads that either candidate has held in a dozen surveys USA TODAY has taken in battleground states during this election.

His 14-point edge in Missouri raises questions about whether the traditional bellwether is still competitive. The Kerry campaign hasn't purchased air time for TV ads in the state this month.

"What's happening is more and more states that are Bush states (from 2000) are getting taken off the table," says Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the Bush campaign. "Now the battleground states are In becoming much more predominantly Gore states, which is good news for us," he said.

In Missouri Bush and Kerry were tied in a USA Today poll taken just before the Democratic National Convention in July. Bush now leads Kerry by 55%-41% among likely voters. Bush carried the state in 2000 by 3 percentage points.

In Ohio Bush lagged Kerry by 6 points in mid-July. Bush now leads by 9 points. Bush carried the state by 4 points in 2000.

Pennsylvania was even two weeks ago and still remains essentially tied.

In Washington state, Kerry leads Bush by 8 points.