OUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Without skipping a beat, George W. Bush parlayed his successful nominating convention into a jubilant campaign swing, riding a train through two battleground states yesterday and urging supporters at each stop to ''give us a chance.''
It was no coincidence the journey took Bush through three separate media markets. Billed as a modern version of a ''whistle-stop tour,'' Bush and his entourage rode the train through Pennsylvania and Ohio for just six hours before reboarding the campaign plane to fly to Detroit, where he will launch another train tour today.
In both his zigzag tour and his earnest rhetoric, Bush sought to portray himself as still working hard to win support, despite his soaring lead in national polls and the overwhelming belief among many Republicans that the election is already won. Repeatedly throughout the day, Bush reveled in his post-convention polling ''bounce,'' but insisted he was not taking his front-runner status for granted. The tactic seemed to reflect a lesson learned in New Hampshire, where Bush was seen as arrogantly assuming that victory was his before he lost the first-in-the-nation primary to John S. McCain.
''It's going to be a tough campaign,'' Bush told a crowd gathered at a stop in western Pennsylvania. ''That's why we're here in Wampum, Pennsylvania. We're taking no votes for granted. I want you to remind your friends and neighbors when voting time comes who came and asked. We're here asking.''
While Bush and his running mate, Dick Cheney, were campaigning in industrial states that are major battlegrounds in presidential elections, several thousand Republicans were departing Philadelphia, leaving behind a week-long pall of clouds that hung over the city throughout the convention but energized by the prospect of victory this fall.
A Voter.com-Battleground tracking poll released yesterday showed that the Bush convention boosted his lead over Vice President Al Gore to 50-31. The survey was conducted Wednesday and Thursday and had a margin of error of 3 points plus or minus. A quick boost in support is common following party conventions, and Gore has a chance to retake the lost ground when the Democrats gather in Los Angeles in 10 days.
The Bush entourage was particularly heartened that polling indicated that the GOP nominee had gained significant support among independent voters.
Bush was clearly eager to lock down support in several swing states before next week, when attention will turn toward the Democratic gathering. Facing an election that will probably turn on the mood of centrist Democrats and independents, Bush headed into Democratic strongholds, repeating the inclusive message that defined the Republican convention in working class settings such as Akron and Youngstown.
As the train rolled through the countryside, Bush drew small but eager crowds at local stops. In Lowellville, Ohio, dozens of supporters stood chanting by the train tracks, holding Bush-Cheney signs. A Texas flag hung from the side of a tobacco store.
In Pittsburgh, Bush told a crowd gathered at the train station to ''give us a chance to change America.''
''And it won't be long now,'' he said, in a refrain from his acceptance speech Thursday night.
Bush, who was up until 1:30 a.m. on the night of the speech, sounded tired, and his remarks at each stop were brief. He said he had stayed up late talking with members of his family. ''I wasn't partying,'' Bush said.
Providing backup was his running mate, Cheney, who also stuck to brief remarks on his favored themes. Standing at a podium on the caboose of the 16-car train, Cheney used lines from his own convention speech: ''Help is on the way,'' he said in a monotone, followed immediately by, ''It's time for them to go.''
But he also underscored the message of the day: Don't assume victory. ''We're going to have to battle all the way down to Nov. 7 to be successful,'' he said, ''but we will prevail.''
Bush hammered the point home repeatedly, telling reporters just before departing from Philadelphia that he was uninterested in polls that showed him ahead. Although he has said so in the past, Bush seemed especially concerned that he not appear complacent with three months remaining in the race.
Democrats expressed skepticism at the notion that Bush had opened up an impressive lead.
''Our convention will show... that Al is on their side, ready to be president and he's got the right ideas to build on our program,'' said Doug Hattaway, a Gore spokesman.
But the momentum, for the moment, appeared to be on Bush's side.
''I'm sure there will be all kinds of polls and speculation between now and election day,'' Bush said. ''That's why it's so important for us to be patient and keep our eye on the finish line. We've got a strategy in place. The key is to remember that the issues are going to win this campaign. I'm going to keep talking about issues.''
Representative Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican who joined Bush for part of yesterday's trip, called the show of caution wise. ''Republicans are pretty confident - overly confident, I think,'' Portman said. ''Politics goes up and down. ... I think complacency is a perpetual problem coming off a convention.''
Still, the comments were at odds with the aura of supreme satisfaction surrounding the campaign in the wake of the acceptance speech Bush delivered the night before. Calling it ''the speech of his life,'' communications director Karen Hughes said the Texas governor had succeeded in showing he is ''obviously a very different person'' than President Clinton and Gore.
Hughes also defended Bush against criticism that he had broken his own embargo on personal attacks. Hughes denied that Bush's remarks, including that Clinton ''squandered'' his chance at greatness, could be construed as negative.
''There were some gentle needles, but the tone ... was one of missed opportunities,'' she said. ''What were we going to say, `It's time for them to stay'?''
Curtis Wilkie assisted with this report. Material from Globe wire services was also used.
