Countdown begins for US voters

Source: Agencies  |   2008-11-4  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE race for the United States presidency entered its final hours yesterday, with polls showing Barack Obama holding a solid lead in his historic quest to become America's first black president, while rival John McCain grasped for a last-minute upset in the race.

Obama, speaking at an appearance with rock star Bruce Springsteen, said that he was "feeling good" about his chances on election day, a day that caps the longest, most expensive presidential contest in US history.

McCain meanwhile was racing through seven swing states in a bid to persuade undecided voters that he, not his rival, could steer the country through turbulent times.

"My friends, it's official: There's just one day left until we take America in a new direction," the veteran Republican senator from Arizona said at a raucous, heavily Hispanic rally in Miami, Florida.

Some polls showed tightening races in Florida, Ohio and a number of battleground states, as the Republicans launched a last-minute advertising effort hoping to turn the Democratic tide.

But national polls suggested Obama's lead widening overall as the candidates moved to the final stages of the race. With the Democrat leading in Pennsylvania and other states, McCain must win to have a chance of capturing the presidency.

A USA Today/Gallup poll found likely voters favoring Obama by 11 points over McCain, 53 to 42 percent. The poll was conducted Friday through Sunday among 3,050 adults, and had a margin of error of 2 percent. Other polls showed Obama with a 7 to 8 percentage point lead.

With the economy in turmoil and the approval levels of President George W. Bush, a Republican, at near-record lows, polls suggest Democrats will not just capture the White House, but expand their majorities in both chambers of Congress.