Charleston, W. Va. ? Sen. John Kerry delivered a long-distance thank you Tuesday evening to Democrats who cast ballots in the Illinois primary, saying he would be forever grateful to the state where he secured enough delegates to formally clinch the party’s presidential nomination.

By making his remarks here in West Virginia, though, he sent a clear signal of the race that lies ahead.

After cruising through nearly two months of primaries and caucuses, losing only three states along the way, Kerry won Illinois and went over the top in the number of delegates needed to officially win the nomination in July at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. That, however, is merely a matter of mathematics.

The general election campaign, which has feverishly been brewing for much of March, will focus on an entirely different set of numbers. While states like Illinois, California and New York could offer key electoral votes for Kerry or President Bush, it is the five electoral votes of West Virginia that could produce a far greater treasure in November.

“Why is West Virginia so important to you?” a news reporter asked Kerry.

“Every state is important,” Kerry replied, “but if Vice President Gore had just won West Virginia, he’d be president of the United States today.”

While Kerry and Bush will crisscross the country for the next eight months, largely following the path scripted four years ago, each state is far from equal. Illinois will be a refueling stop for campaign cash, but Republican strategists have sworn off the state as virtually unattainable for Bush, which means Kerry has little incentive to wage a full-blown competition.

A glimpse of the political battleground unfolded Tuesday as the Bush-Cheney campaign launched a new television ad airing only on West Virginia stations that accused Kerry of failing to support funding for troops in Iraq.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, left, his wife Teresa, right, and West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise celebrate at a political rally in Charleston, W.Va. Kerry's victory in the Illinois primary Tuesday mathematically secured him enough delegates to take the Democratic presidential nomination.