Politics
Election 2012: 2 days to go – Obama and Romney in bruising race to the finish
U.S. President Barack Obama (l) and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. PHOTO/File
President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney engaged in a frenzied cross-country blitz of the remaining toss-up states Sunday, with both sides predicting victory in a race that remains too close to call just two days before Election Day.
National opinion polls showed a race for the popular vote in Tuesday’s election so close that only a statistically insignificant point or two separated the two rivals. The final national NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll, conducted from Nov. 1-3, showed Obama getting the support of 48 per cent of likely voters, while Romney receives 47 per cent. The poll had a margin of error of 2.55 percentage points.
A majority of polls in the battleground states, especially in the Midwestern states of Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio, showed Obama with a slight advantage, giving him an easier path to the 270 electoral votes needed for victory. No Republican has won the White House without carrying Ohio.
The winner is not determined by the nationwide popular vote but in state-by-state contests, making “battleground” states that are neither consistently Republican nor Democratic extremely important in such a tight race. Obama and Romney are actually competing to win at least 270 electoral votes. The electoral votes are apportioned to states based on a mix of population and representation in Congress.
Obama’s campaign was mobilizing a massive get-out-the-vote effort aimed at carrying the Democrat to victory. Obama had a full schedule Sunday, with campaign stops in New Hampshire, Florida, Ohio and Colorado.
The president caught a few hours of sleep back at the White House Saturday night before hitting the campaign trail again Sunday. After Marine One lifts off from the South Lawn Sunday morning, Obama won’t return to the executive mansion again until after Election Day.
Romney’s campaign was projecting momentum and banking on late-breaking voters to propel him to victory in the exceedingly close race. The Republican was cutting away briefly Sunday from the nine or so competitive states that have dominated the candidates’ travel itineraries to make a late play for votes in Pennsylvania, a Democratic-leaning state. Romney will also campaign Sunday in Iowa, Ohio and Virginia.
