archaean: McCain, Obama sweep battleground states

NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia (Reuters) - Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama battled on Saturday in states that voted Republican in 2004 in the final, frenetic weekend of a long and grinding U.S. presidential election campaign.

McCain was in Virginia looking to turn out the vote on Tuesday in a state that normally votes Republican but appears to be siding with Obama.

"We need to win Virginia on the fourth of November and with your help we're going to win," a spirited McCain said, exhorting supporters to "volunteer, knock on doors."

"With your help we can and will win," he said. "We're coming back and we're coming back in Virginia."

Obama, enjoying a lead in national polls and in many key battleground states where the election will be decided, sought a knockout punch in three states that went for President George W. Bush in 2004 -- Nevada, Colorado and Missouri.

Nowhere to be seen on the campaign trail was Bush himself. With a popularity rating below 30 percent, Bush was not asked to campaign for McCain. Obama has consistently sought to portray his opponent as a Bush clone.

Americans on Tuesday will vote in what amounts to 51 separate elections in each state and the District of Columbia. Each state has a number of electoral votes based on the size of its representation in Congress. Whichever candidate gets 270 electoral votes wins the White House.

They will choose between Illinois Sen. Obama, 47, who would be the country's first black president, and Arizona Sen. McCain, 72, the former Vietnam prisoner of war who would be the oldest person ever elected to a first presidential term.

If current polling is accurate and stands up on Election Day, Obama will win, possibly by a comfortable margin.

SIGNS OF HOPE

But McCain and his aides see signs of hope from their own polling as well as some public opinion polls.

A Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Saturday said Obama's lead McCain dipped slightly to 5 points.

"There is no doubt that McCain made some gains," said pollster John Zogby. "It is enough to raise the question, is McCain making a move?"

Obama's aides say they have built a campaign operation aimed at winning close contests with hundreds of thousands of volunteers. The Obama campaign is so flush with cash that it took the step of buying advertising time in McCain's home state of Arizona because aides sensed an opening there.

McCain sees his best chance to take away a traditionally Democratic state in Pennsylvania, where Obama has the lead.

While Obama has many combinations of states that he can use to get to 270 electoral votes, McCain's path is narrow. He has been mostly racing around states Bush won in 2004 trying to defend them.

In Newport News, McCain pounded away at what he considers his best theme, that Obama's plan to tax Americans who make over $250,000 a year could well be extended to include people who make far less and push the economy deeper into crisis.

Obama would raise taxes on income over $250,000 and says he would cut taxes for those making under $200,000.

Some confusion has arisen in these numbers in the past week because his vice presidential running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, said the tax cut would go to people making under $150,000 and an Obama supporter, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, said the tax cut would apply to families making less than $120,000.

"It's interesting the way their definition of rich keeps going down," McCain said.

The Obama campaign dismissed McCain's argument.

"The governor (Richardson) meant to say that people making less than $250,000 won't see their taxes increase under President Obama," said Pahl Shipley, Richardson's communications director.

From reuters.com

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Saturday, November 1, 2008

McCain, Obama sweep battleground states

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