MARIETTA, Ohio — After almost two years of constant cross-country campaigning, the presidential election has come down to a flurry of appearances in several key states.
Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama and Republican vice-presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin crisscrossed Ohio on Sunday, while GOP standard-bearer Sen. John McCain went to New Hampshire and returned to Pennsylvania, whose 21 electoral votes were seen by his strategists as up for grabs in Tuesday’s election.
Polls show the six closest states are Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada and Ohio, the Associated Press reported. All were won by Bush and made competitive by Obama’s record-shattering fundraising. The campaigns also are running aggressive ground games elsewhere, including Iowa, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Colorado and Virginia, the AP reported.
As Election Day approaches, the issues haven’t changed — nor has the rhetoric.
At a rally Sunday in Wallingford, Pa., just outside Philadelphia, and again in Scranton, Pa., McCain made his oft-repeated argument that Obama is too liberal for the country and wants a tax policy that redistributes wealth rather than creating new riches. Democrats are prepared to cut the defense budget even as the country is fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said.
But the tenor of the pitch has changed as the clock winds down.
“If I’m elected president,” McCain said — then paused and amended his words. “When I’m elected president,” he said to cheers. Later, describing his campaign’s underdog status, the Arizona senator insisted that he would win. “The Mac is back,” he said as the crowd roared.
Pennsylvania is the only traditionally Democratic state where the McCain campaign is staging a serious effort. McCain also visited the state Saturday.
Sen. Joe Biden, the Democrats’ vice-presidential candidate, campaigned in Florida.
Palin, who has visited Pennsylvania repeatedly, campaigned Sunday in another must-win state. The Alaska governor offered audiences in Canton and Marietta, Ohio, her standard speech, stressing themes of patriotism and fiscal responsibility.
“John and I have better idea: Let’s not retreat from wars that are almost won and let’s not gut the defense budget at a time of conflict and obvious danger,” Palin said.
Obama actually has pledged to increase defense spending and the size of the military. As for taxes, he has said he would raise taxes for those earning more than $250,000 a year and would seek a tax cut for 95 percent of U.S. taxpayers. He repeated that pledge Sunday in Ohio.
Along with discussing the issues, Obama told a crowd in Columbus, Ohio, that he represented the politics of hope.
“Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that there are better days ahead,” the Illinois senator said. “If we’re willing to work for it. If we’re willing to shed our fears. If we’re willing to reach deep down inside ourselves when we’re tired, and come back fighting harder.
“Don’t believe for a second this election is over. Don’t think for a minute that power concedes without a fight. We have to work like our future depends on it in these last few days, because it does,” he said.
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said that Pennsylvania would be the key to the election. Polls show the state leaning toward Obama.
“I think we’ve seen a significant shift in where the polling data is over the last 10 days,” Davis said.
“I think the most important state to watch right now is Pennsylvania. It’s a state that Republicans haven’t won in a long time, and we’re doing great there,” he said. “In fact, some new polls out recently show the margin of error is the only thing that separates us from Barack Obama.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
