U.S. President Barack Obama and his opponent, former Massachusetts
governor Mitt Romney are essentially tied in national polls as the
presidential campaign enters its last days before Tuesday's election.
The president holds a slight edge in the political battleground states
crucial to gaining the 270 electoral votes needed to win.
Both
President Obama and Romney stopped Friday in the key state of Ohio on a
day the government reported the jobless rate had risen a tenth of a
point to 7.9 percent, but also added 171,000 jobs, beating expectations.
Each candidate had a different take on what the numbers meant. The
president said companies in October hired more workers than at any other
time in the last eight months. Romney called the jobless rate "a sad
reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill."
Obama also noted during his campaigning that he continues to command the
federal response for the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.
