LYNCHBURG, Va. -- President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney barreled into the final day of campaigning ahead of Tuesday's election, charging across a handful of states likely to settle their too-close-to-call duel for the White House.
With an eye on maximizing turnout of the party faithful, the two candidates staged rallies that doubled as get-out-the-vote efforts, providing celebrity entertainment to help spike attendance.
Obama appeared Monday morning alongside Bruce Springsteen before a crowd of about 18,000 in Madison, Wis., telling supporters, "After all we've been through together, we can't give up now."
Romney campaigned in Virginia for the third time in five days, underscoring its importance to his White House hopes.
Speaking to a boisterous crowd of several thousand in Lynchburg, the GOP nominee acknowledged his campaign's ground troops, as both candidates kicked their turnout machines into high gear.
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Romney thanked the volunteers making phone calls, putting up yard signs, "and maybe convincing a co-worker to vote for [Wisconsin Rep.] Paul Ryan and me. And now, let’s make sure that we get everyone we know out to vote on Tuesday. Every single voter -- get 'em out!”
While the candidates racked up air miles, the money hunt continued unabated; a fitting close to the costliest federal elections in the nation's history. A midday email solicitation, under the signature of Ann Romney, the candidate's wife, asked for donors to kick in $15 to help pay for last minute get-out-the-vote efforts.
Even as the candidates hopscotched across battleground states, much of the focus remained on Ohio, the most fiercely contested of all. It was the one state both men planned to visit Monday, with election eve rallies scheduled in Columbus. Rapper Jay-Z joined the president and, just a couple of hours later, the Marshall Tucker Band was set to perform for Romney.
National opinion surveys continued to a show the two men effectively tied. But Obama held a slim but significant lead in the more important state-by-state fight for the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House.
Both candidates were focused Monday on states crucial to their strategies. Obama sought to fortify his Midwestern firewall in Wisconsin, Iowa and, most especially, Ohio. Romney stumped in three virtual must-win states: Florida, Virginia and Ohio, and planned to wrap up where his campaign started, with a pre-midnight rally in New Hampshire with singer Kid Rock.
Fighting exhaustion, each fell back on well-worn stump speeches.
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The president cited passage of landmark healthcare legislation, his repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" prohibition on gay soldiers, and imposition of tougher regulations on Wall Street.
"We have come too far to turn back now," he told the crowd in Madison. "We've come too far to let our hearts grow faint. Now is the time to keep pushing forward."
Turning to Romney, he questioned his rival's constancy and, indirectly, his character.
"It's also about trust, Wisconsin. You may not agree with every decision I've made. You know, Michelle doesn't either," Obama said, referring to the First Lady. "...But you know I say what I mean and mean what I say."
In Virginia, Romney urged his supporters to reach out to the few remaining undecided voters and said that his background and record shows that he offers the true change that Obama promised four years ago and failed to deliver.
“The question of the election comes down to this: Do you want four more years like the last four years or do you want real change? Now of course, President Obama promised change, he just couldn’t deliver it. I not only promise change, I have a record of achieving it,” Romney said, citing his work in business, helping rescue the troubled 2002 Winter Olympics and as governor of Massachusetts. “That’s why I’m running for president, I know how to change the nation, how to get it back on course, how to create jobs, how to get a balanced budget, how to get rising take home pay.”
With one day left, Romney, Obama seek to boost turnout
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With one day left, Romney, Obama seek to boost turnout
