In California, the latest Rasmussen Reports survey finds Senator John F. Kerry with an 8-point lead over President George W. Bush, 49% to 41%. In Election 2000, Bush lost California to Al Gore by 11 points.

The new survey data represents a slight improvement for the President since our April survey. That earlier survey showed Kerry ahead of Bush, 51% to 40%. In March, Senator Kerry held a 9-point lead over the President.

In California, Kerry leads among both men and women. California women prefer Kerry by a 52% to 38% margin. Among men, it's essentially a toss-up--46% for Kerry and 44% for Bush.

Just 2% of Liberal voters in California currently plan to vote for someone other than Bush or Kerry.

Forty-seven percent (47%) of California voters Approve of the way President Bush is performing his job. That's three points better than a month ago, but three points below his ratings in March.

Data for California will updated again early next month. Rasmussen Reports has also recently released polling data for the state of Ohio. Other state polling data will be released each day this week.