When it comes to national defense and the War on Terror, 51% of voters prefer Bush and 44% Kerry. A week ago, the President held a nine-point advantage on this question, 52% to 43%.

Both campaigns can take some comfort from these numbers. For the Bush team, it's encouraging to have an advantage on the number one issue of the campaign. For the Kerry camp, the good news is that President's advantage is smaller than it's been for most of the year. In fact, this week's update is the best for the Senator since the Republican National Convention.

While the President has always been preferred when it comes to the War on Terror, voters have been much more evenly divided this year when it comes to the economy. Both candidates have had an advantage on this issue at various times during the year.

At the end of the campaign, forty-eight percent (48%) of voters trust George Bush more than John Kerry when it comes to managing the economy. Forty-seven percent (47%) now prefer Kerry.

These numbers are the Senator's best in recent weeks. The President has had a 3 or 4 point edge on this topic for most of October.

A related survey found that 42% of Americans say that President Bush is doing a good or excellent job managing the economy. That survey will be updated next Wednesday.

Perceptions of how the candidates will handle the economy and the War on Terror are the fundamental issues of Election 2004. Rasmussen Reports will provide weekly updates of the Bush-Kerry comparisons on these issues throughout the campaign.