US Presidential
Candidates Visit Key States on Election Eve
Meredith Buel
November 05, 2012
U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are
making last-minute appeals to voters in key battleground states on the
eve of Tuesday’s presidential election.
Both President Obama and Mr. Romney campaigned in states they need to
win in an election that opinion polls say is very close.
Mr. Romney told a boisterous rally in the state of Florida that he is
the only candidate capable of bringing about change.
Both campaigns predicted the winner will be determined by which of their
operations can get the most supporters to the polls.
In the state of Wisconsin, President Obama urged a crowd of cheering
supporters to vote Tuesday.
U.S. presidential elections are not decided by the nationwide popular
vote, but by an Electoral College system. The importance of each state
on the outcome of the election is approximately equivalent to its
population.
Both candidates campaigned in the critical state of Ohio on the eve of
the election.
Larry Sabato is director of the Center for Politics at the University of
Virginia.
“Ohio has been right 27 of the last 29 presidential elections," said
Sabato. "It also is the key swing state this year because it is very
difficult for Governor Romney to get to the magic number of 270 [needed
to win] in the Electoral College if he does not carry Ohio’s 18
electoral votes. That is why there is such a giant battle there.”
Political polls say the race is very close nationally. But
state-by-state surveys show Mr. Obama with narrow leads in many closely
contested states likely to determine the outcome.
Analyst
Larry Sabato said, “This is a close, competitive election, but the
incumbent, President Obama, has an edge in the key swing states. Because
it is close, however, you cannot absolutely rule out an upset by
Governor Romney.”
Along with the race for president, all of the seats in the House of
Representatives and a third of the 100 Senate seats are being contested.
Most analysts predict Republicans will continue to hold their majority
in the House, while the president’s Democratic Party is likely to
maintain a slim majority in the Senate.
Millions of voters already have cast ballots under early-voting rules.
But the vast majority of the electorate still will head to polling
places throughout the U.S. Tuesday.
