MANSFIELD, Ohio (AFP) - President George W. Bush, seeking a second term, and Democratic challenger John Kerry, have been sparring energetically over Iraq, but both men are keenly aware of the US economy looming large as a major campaign issue in the November 2 election.
The economy will be the central theme of their second televised debate in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 8, just 25 days before the election.
The first debate last Thursday night, on security and foreign policy, gave Kerry a boost in voter preference.
On Saturday, the first poll since the debate gave the senator from Massachusetts a 49-46 percent edge over Bush in a two-way matchup, and a 47-45 percent margin in a race also involving independent Ralph Nader.
Also on Saturday, Bush promised to sign into law a tax cut for the middle class that was recently passed by Congress.
"I will proudly sign the Working Families Tax Relief Act. This bipartisan law is good news for America's families," Bush said in his weekly radio address, noting that Kerry had voted against tax cuts in 2001 and 2003.
For his part, Kerry blames Bush's tax cuts for pushing the federal deficit to a record 422 billion dollars.
The Democratic challenger says that if elected he will revoke the tax cuts for those earning more than 200,000 dollars a year and use the proceeds for health and education.
"We can continue to give massive tax giveaways to the wealthiest few in our country," Kerry said in Orlando, Florida. "Or we can fight for the families who are working hard every day, offering middle-class tax cuts that make work pay."
Here in Mansfield, Bush countered that, "When you hear (Kerry) say tax the rich, just remember that the rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason, to slip the bill to you. The good news is that we're not going to let him tax you. I'll win in November with your help."
Earlier in Columbus, Ohio, Bush defended his record, saying the economy was resurging and the unemployment rate, at 5.4 percent, was the lowest in decades.
The Democrats say Bush is the first president in 30 years on whose watch more jobs have been lost than created, putting the jobs deficit at one million.
States like Ohio have been especially hard-hit by the weak industrial sector in recent years. Bush won Ohio in 2000 with a narrow 3.6 percent more votes than Democratic challenger Al Gore, and this year, the Democrats see a Kerry victory here within their sights.
Bush has been campaigning hard in the state. He was here last Monday, and made three more appearances on Saturday.
The US media were meanwhile crediting Kerry with victory over Bush in the Thursday night debate on security and foreign policy, themes that voters generally see as the president's strong suits.
Bush could also find himself on the defensive in the second debate Friday night, faced with relentless attacks on his economic record by Kerry, who voters generally see as better qualified on the economy, health and retirement.
Karl Rove, Bush's closest political advisor, said Saturday the election would be very close, and that he was expecting the gap between the candidates to narrow still further.
That, he said, would have nothing to do with Kerry's showing Thursday, but was just "the nature of the race."