In the latest Rasmussen Reports full week's polling sample, President George W. Bush holds a two percentage point lead over Senator Kerry.

This is the sixth full week sample in a row that shows the President ahead by two or more points. Prior to this stretch, neither candidate had been able to hold a 2-point lead for consecutive weeks all year.

For the week ending Thursday, October 14, Bush has 48.5% of the vote and Kerry has 46.5%. The President's numbers have not budged over the past six weeks. Senator Kerry is now at his highest level since mid-August.

This marks the 39th full week of polling since Kerry became the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. Over the entire 39 week period, Bush has been ahead of Kerry by at least one point seventeen times. More significantly, as the election draws near, Bush has had such a lead for eight consecutive weeks

During the 39 weeks, the two candidates have been within one point of each other fourteen times. Kerry has been ahead by at least a point for eight of the 33 weeks (but not since August 19).

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Bush also has a slight lead in the Electoral College. However, our latest projection shows that neither candidate can count on enough states to win the 270 Electoral Votes needed for victory.

At Rasmussen Reports, we interview 1,000 Likely Voters every single night. Our daily tracking poll is based upon three-days worth of interviews--3,000 Likely Voters. Our weekly survey, however, is based upon interviews with 7,000 Likely Voters spread equally over each night of the week. This reduces the random variation that can come from smaller sample sizes and polling on different days of the week.

Prior to September, we interviewed 500 Likely Voters per night for a weekly sample of 3,500.

As summarized in the table to the right, the weekly numbers show a race that has remained remarkably stable…and close… ever since John Kerry became the frontrunner. However, during September and October, the President has held a modest but consistent lead.

Over the past seven weeks, President George W. Bush has attracted between 47.7% and 48.5% of the vote. During those four weeks, Senator John Kerry has earned between 45.5% and 46.5% of the vote.

Prior to Labor Day, Bush had stayed in the narrow range from 44.1% to 46.7% for 31 consecutive weeks. During that time, Kerry attracted between 44.1% and 48.3% of the vote.

Rasmussen Reports provides daily updates on the Presidential race and the economic confidence of Investors and Consumers.

We regularly track whether voters trust President Bush or Senator Kerry more on managing the economy and national defense.