Electoral College Watch

The latest from CNN:

CNN survey: Bush widens lead in Electoral College
Kerry holds tenuous leads in six key states

President Bush this week reached a symbolic milestone, overtaking Democratic challenger John Kerry in New Hampshire and Iowa to claim more than 300 electoral votes in CNN’s weekly Electoral College scorecard.

If the election were held today, Bush would receive 301 electoral votes to Kerry‘s 237, according to a CNN survey based on state polling as well as interviews with campaign aides and independent analysts. A candidate wins the election with 270 electoral votes, regardless of the popular vote.

In three of the four weeks since he accepted the GOP nomination at Madison Square Garden on September 2, Bush has overtaken Kerry in one state Al Gore carried four years ago, a trend that forces Kerry’s campaign into an increasingly defensive posture. Gore won Iowa by 1 percentage point in 2000 and lost New Hampshire by about the same margin.

Bush currently leads in 33 states, including the country’s entire southern rim (except California) and the mountain and plains regions. Kerry leads in the District of Columbia and the remaining 17 states, including all of the West Coast and most of the Northeast. The two candidates continue to battle for control of the industrial Midwest.

Captain’s Quarters thinks Kerry is in big trouble. From the looks of the latest Electoral College projections, I think that assessment is accurate.