U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are crisscrossing America ahead of Tuesday's election, with campaign stops in several key states where they are virtually tied.
President Obama on Sunday made visits to New Hampshire, Florida and Ohio before ending the day close to midnight at a rally in Colorado. In Florida, the president told supporters that he will work to empower the middle class.
“It's just not the choice between two parties or two candidates, it's a choice between two different visions of America. On the one hand, you can choose to return to the top down policies that crashed our economy, or you can join me in building a future on a strong and growing middle class.”
On Monday, Mr. Obama returns to Wisconsin and Iowa, and holds yet another event in Ohio before heading to his hometown of Chicago, where he will be on election night.
Mr. Romney rallied with supporters in Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania before ending the day Sunday in Virginia. During a stop in Cleveland (Ohio), the presidential contender promised to work across the political line in a spirit of bi-partisanship, and accused the president of divisiveness.
“He promised to be a post-partisan president, but he's been most partisan, he's been divisive, blaming, attacking, dividing and by the way, it's not only Republicans that he refused to listen to, he also refused to listen to independent voices.”
Mr. Romney's agenda for Monday includes a morning stop in Florida before trips back to Virginia, Ohio and New Hampshire. He will spend election night in Boston, in his home state of Massachusetts.
Polls indicate the two candidates are virtually tied in the key states of Colorado, Florida, Ohio and Virginia. The president holds a slight edge in Ohio and Virginia, while Mr. Romney is ahead in Colorado, and the two candidates are tied in Florida.
The four states are the main so-called “swing states” critical to gaining the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House.
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are also on the line in Tuesday's election, along with 33 of the 100 Senate seats.
