Obama, Romney launch final full day of campaigning to brace for Election Day

 CHICAGO, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S.President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee¹ Mitt² Romney on Monday both spent their final full day of campaigning with packed schedule across eight swing states before returning to headquarters in Chicago and Boston respectively for the Election Day.

Obama spent his Monday with a full-scheduled blitz in three key swing states serving as his Midwestern firewall, including all-important Ohio, as well as Wisconsin and Iowa. Some of those events featured musicians Bruce Springsteen and Jay-Z.

The incumbent³ hopes to put these states where he currently leads over Romney by a slight margin⁴ in polls into his column to secure a path to 270 electoral votes and a second term. A Romney win of Ohio would put Obama in the defensive⁵.

"Tomorrow you have a choice to make. And it' s not just a choice between two candidates or two parties. It is a choice between two different visions for America. It' s a choice between returning to the top-down policies that crashed our economy, or a future that' s built on providing opportunity to everybody and growing a strong middle class," said Obama in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Obama campaign selected to conclude the final day of campaigning in Iowa, the state where Obama saw his first major victory in 2008 presidential bid to beat then Democratic candidates including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Obama will return to his hometown Chicago, Illinois late Monday night and stay in the state through Tuesday to take a series of interviews and prepare for the Election Night rally in the city, said Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki aboard Air Force One enroute Columbus, Ohio.

She also said Obama will follow his tradition to play basketball with friends and close advisors⁶ on the Election Day.

Obama has already cast his ballot⁷ early in Chicago on Oct. 25, the first time a sitting U.S. president early voting in person.

Other than Ohio, Romney also brought up with his final push in Virginia and Florida on Monday, the two states where recent polls suggest he has an advantage over Obama.

"Tomorrow we begin a new tomorrow. Tomorrow we begin a better tomorrow," said the challenger in Florida. "This nation is going to begin to make a change for the better tomorrow."

Florida, which has 29 electoral votes, is a must-win state for Romney. His loss in the state would practically mean Obama's reelection, even without Ohio.

Romney will return to New Hampshire Monday night, the place where he announced he would join the 2012 presidential bid in June, 2011.

The Romney campaign also announced that Romney would make an extended dash in Ohio and Pennsylvania on Tuesday, an unusual step from the tradition of staying off the campaign trail on the Election Day.

ABC News reported that Romney would first vote in Boston before departing for the new addition of events, and would return to Boston for his Tuesday election night rally.

The newly added events may suggest Romney wants more push to win Ohio or to broaden the playing field to Pennsylvania.

"I will say it' s no surprise that Mitt Romney is headed to Ohio, or reportedly headed to Ohio tomorrow. Without that state it' s a rocky road for them to victory -- an insurmountable road, I would say," said Psaki.

She stressed the confidence of Obama campaign holding "a superior ground game and a superior campaign" advantage in the state of Ohio which could lead to Obama's victory.

The two candidates are currently still tied up nationwide. A latest Gallup poll released Monday found that Romney led over Obama by 49 percent to 48 percent among likely voters, with the edge narrowing down. But Obama heads into Election Day with an edge in the battleground states which could likely decide the winner of the election.

1 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

2 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

3 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

4 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

5 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

6 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

7 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。