In the sixteen-Battleground States that are likely to determine the winner of Election 2004, it's as close as it can be--President Bush has 48.0% of the vote and Senator Kerry has 47.5%. In Election 2000, Bush and Gore split the vote in these states 48% to 48%.

For most of 2004, Kerry has held the lead in these states. However, in recent weeks, the numbers have been essentially even.

This is the final public release of our Battleground State results for Election 2004. Daily updates are provided for Premium Members. The states we have included for this update were all considered Battleground States at the beginning of Election 2004. Data for specific states can be found through our Electoral College projection page.

In the 16-state region, 52% have a favorable opinion of Bush while 51% say the same about Kerry. Forty-three percent (43%) believe the country is generally heading in the right direction.

This data is based upon interviews conducted over the three nights preceding the release date. Every night, Rasmussen Reports interviews 1,000 Likely Voters across the nation to create a three-day rolling average based upon 3,000 Likely Voters. Roughly one-third of all voters live in the sixteen Battleground States.

The 16-Battleground States are Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, Arizona, Minnesota, Oregon, Iowa, Arkansas, Nevada, New Mexico, West Virginia, Maine, and New Hampshire.

Other survey data shows that, nationally, 43% of voters now say the country is going in the Right Direction.