In West Virginia, President Bush leads John Kerry by five percentage points, 46% to 41%. Four years ago, Bush won the state by six points over Al Gore, 52% to 46%.

The Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted Thursday night, April 15. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points, with a 95% level of confidence.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of West Virginia voters have a favorable opinion of Bush compared to just 47% for Kerry.

For Edwards and Cheney, the favorability numbers are 54% and 51% respectively.

Additionally, 55% of West Virginia voters approve of the way that Bush is performing his role as President. This is a bit higher than the President's national Job Approval ratings.

By a modest 46% to 42% margin, West Virginia voters trust Bush more than Kerry when it comes to managing the economy. When it comes to national defense and the War on Terror, 53% of West Virginia voters prefer Bush and 35% prefer Kerry. Those figures are both close to the national average at this time. On a national basis, Rasmussen Reports updates this information on a weekly basis.

If President Bush is re-elected, 59% believe their personal taxes will stay about the same while 24% think their taxes will go up.

If Senator Kerry wins in November, 48% of West Virginia voters expect to pay more in taxes. Just 34% believe their taxes would stay about the same.

Forty-eight percent (48%) of West Virginia voters see the President as politically conservative. Thirty-two percent (32%) say moderate.

Fifty percent (50%) say Kerry is politically liberal while just 34% label the Massachusetts Senator as moderate.

Many of the early Election 2004 state polls suggest that Election 2004 is starting where Election 2000 left off. This includes polls in Florida, Colorado, Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. In Iowa, a state that Bush narrowly lost four years ago, he is trailing by a somewhat larger margin so far this year. In Ohio, a state that Bush won four years ago, the President is currently trailing. Bush is leading in Missouri by seven points. He won that state by four points the last time.

On a national basis this time around, the Rasmussen Reports Presidential Election Tracking Poll has found Bush and Kerry virtually even for weeks.