COLUMBUS, Ohio -- President George W. Bush's approval rating in Ohio dropped below 50 percent for the first time during his presidency, according to the latest Ohio Poll, sponsored by the University of Cincinnati.

The announcement comes on the same day Democratic Sen. John Kerry makes his first presidential campaign stop in Ohio.

Forty-nine percent of Ohioans approve of Bush's performance, according to the latest poll, while another 49 percent disapprove and 2 percent were undecided.

The poll shows that 47 percent approve of the way Bush is handling foreign affairs. He received 73 percent approval from November 2001 to April 2003. Forty percent of Ohioans approve of the president's handling of the economy, which is down from 64 percent from November 2001 to April 2003. The latest approval ratings are the lowest of his presidency.

The most recent national survey conducted by The Gallup Organization showed the president's overall approval rating at 51 percent.

Of Ohio's registered voters, 50 percent approve of the Bush's performance. Eighty-six percent of Republicans approve, while 24 percent of Democrats approve. Fifty-one percent of self-identified Independents approve.

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A large majority of African-Americans (76 percent) disapprove of the president's performance. While a slight majority of women (51 percent) disapprove of the president's performance, a slight majority of men (51 percent) approve.

The Ohio Poll was conducted between Jan. 30 and Feb. 10.

During his Ohio visit, Kerry plans to zero in on an issue political observers feel he will continually hammer away at -- jobs and the economy.

"It's THE issue for the Democrats," Wright State University political scientist Robert Adams said Tuesday.

Kerry will use laid-off workers as examples Wednesday in his attack on Bush during the senator's first Ohio campaign stop, two weeks before the March 2 primary.

"We have a lot of manufacturing jobs that have gone," Adams said. "There couldn't be a better background for stating that intention."

Kerry plans to meet with laid-off workers at United Auto Workers Local 696's union hall in this western Ohio city before traveling to Columbus for an evening rally at Plumbers & Pipe Fitters Local 189.

Ohio has proved crucial to presidential politics. Just two Democrats -- Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 and John F. Kennedy in 1960 -- have won the office without winning Ohio. No Republican has ever been elected president without winning the state.

Bush won Ohio by 3.6 percentage points in 2000 over Democrat Al Gore. Bush has visited the state 14 times during his first term.

Rep. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, defended Bush's track record on the economy, saying the administration's tax-relief policies have enabled businesses to increase investment and hire more workers.

"Here in Ohio, we've begun to see some job growth. It looks like it's going in the right direction," Portman said. "People appreciate what he's done for the economy."

Kerry's presidential campaign raised about $95,000 from 162 Ohio residents during 2003, according to Political Money Line, a nonpartisan campaign finance tracking service.

Ohio's donations rank the state at No. 21 behind major fund-raising states for Kerry such as California, Massachusetts and New York.