Posted on Sun, Sep. 05, 2004
Bush campaigns in area of West Virginia
By PETE YOST
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - President Bush set his re-election sights Sunday on the part of West Virginia that strongly supported him four years ago and where he hopes to build a big lead against rival John Kerry in November.
The president makes his second trip in four months to Parkersburg, W.Va., an area that gave Bush an 8,000 vote edge over Democrat Al Gore in 2000. It was Bush's biggest victory margin of any area in the state, which he won by 6 percentage points.
Polls show West Virginia leaning toward Bush, despite Democrats holding a 2-1 advantage in voter registration over Republicans.
The shift toward Bush in West Virginia occurred as public debate nationally moved away from the uncertain economy and the war in Iraq, two areas where Bush is vulnerable.
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Kerry makes his sixth appearance Monday at a Labor Day picnic in West Virginia's coal country. Bush visits southwest West Virginia on Friday with a stop in Huntington.
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