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Sarah Palin embarked on a Pennsylvania bus tour Friday, kicking things off with a rally featuring Mike Ditka, a.k.a. da coach, pledging his support for da GOP ticket. The former Chicago Bears coach was born in Pennsylvania and gave the crowd of a few thousand a pep talk just four days before Election Day. “Thing I know about Pennsylvania, you’re great people, you’re hardworking people-no nonsense people, and that’s what this is all about,” Ditka said.

Everyone has written-off Iowa. In fact, we've been very curious as to why McCain -- who opposes Ethanol subsidies -- has "wasted" his time there this year. I'm on a conference call right now with McCain campaign manager Rick Davis. According to Davis, McCain's internal polling shows them "dead-even in Iowa." Davis says this is the reason Obama is headed there to campaign ...

Like many, I had figured that one of the reasons that Virginia was so competitive this year was because the demographics of the state were changing, and that the balance of population and power was tipping in favor of Northern Virginia, and that that was where the new voters were coming from... But it turns out that in the counties where Kerry won more than 50 percent of the vote in 2004, 71,466 new voters have registered. In counties where Kerry won between 40 percent and 50 percent of the vote, 104,805 new voters have registered. And in counties where...

Update: Fox news is reporting that Obama's pollster is confirming the results discussed here. In a memo sent to the Florida ground operation, he confirms that the polls are tightening up and that GOTV operations are critical and in need of resources in Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, and Virginia. He says that resources are less of a problem in Pennsylvania. When contacted by Fox, he confirmed the McCain release, "McCain is right".

On Wednesday, Sen. John McCain continued to increase his TV advertising in seven key swing states, while Sen. Barack Obama reduced his TV ad units in most of these states. Wednesday evening marked the release of Obama’s half-hour infomercial. McCain increased his ad units in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia on Wednesday, Oct. 29. He reduced the number of ad units he ran in Missouri by -1.7%. In comparison, Obama increased his ad units in Florida and held his advertising steady in Georgia on Wednesday. Meanwhile, he reduced the number of ad units he ran in Colorado, Ohio,...

This will cheer you. Democrats are beaming that their party is outperforming the Republicans in early voting, releasing numbers Wednesday that show registrants of their party ahead 54 percent to 30 percent among the 1.4 million voters who have gone to the polls early. . . . But party breakdowns for turnout aren't the same as final tallies, and at least one poll offered a different view for the campaign of Republican John McCain. A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll gave McCain a 49-45 lead over Democrat Barack Obama among Floridians who have already voted. And Republicans continued to show a...

Kissimmee (Orlando) FL - - Portraying harmony like never before, Bill Clinton hailed Barack Obama on Wednesday, a power pairing designed to inspire Democrats already smelling victory. "Barack Obama represents America's future, and you've got to be there for him next Tuesday," Clinton, with Obama at his side, said to the cheers of a partisan crowd. Heaping praise on President Bush's predecessor, Obama said of Clinton: "In case all of you forgot, this is what it's like to have a great president." Obama even prodded the crowd to cheer more, saying "Bill Clinton. Give it up!" And there was Clinton,...

I can't give any more details than that, but I GUARANTEE that McCain wins NV by 5-7%...GUARANTEE!!! That should mean good things for many other states on election day, and expose these polls for what they are - tools of the MSM. Please help me with what a 5-7% win in NV means elsewhere...

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin pledged to lower taxes and get big government out of the lives of everyday people in a stump speech Wednesday designed to shore up voters in the now hotly contested Indiana presidential race. Organizers were expecting 10,000 people to attend the rally at a private warehouse in Jeffersonville, a bedroom community to Louisville. Kentucky Republicans expected thousands of people from the Bluegrass state to cross the river to attend the rally. Traffic was backed up for miles on Interstate 65 going into the event — many people with tickets couldn't make...

Virginia is the key. We must win Virginia, or we lose.

Gov. Charlie Crist, his predecessor Jeb Bush and other Florida Republicans introduced John McCain to a crowd in the parking lot of a West Miami lumber yard Wednesday. The Republican presidential nominee came onto the stage outside Everglades Lumber to the theme song from Rocky and began his remarks just after 10:30 a.m. ''On Nov. 4, we've got to win the state of Florida, my friends, and we're going to win here,'' McCain said. He talked about the need to reduce America's oil dependency, cut government spending and lower taxes. ''I'm going to make government live on a budget just...

Yesterday Sen. John McCain boosted his TV advertising units in seven key swing states — Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, closing the gap between his advertising and Sen. Barack Obama’s. On Sunday, Oct. 26, McCain ran just 331 TV ad units in those seven states — 308% fewer than the 1,350 ad units Obama ran that day. But on Monday, Obama’s lead in these key battleground states shrank to 113% — or a margin of 1,528 ad units, after McCain’s campaign increased the number of TV ad units it ran in those states by 308%, to 1,353...

Sarah Palin's rally Monday in Fredericksburg, Va., began with a prayer. "Thank you for all you have given us," intoned Susan Stimpson, chairwoman of the county Republican Party. If she had really wanted to help, though, she would have prayed the polls are wrong. A new Washington Post/ABC poll released Monday put Barack Obama up eight points in Virginia, one for every day left in the election. His advantage is even stronger in Northern Virginia, where he outpolls McCain 2-to-1. In the southwest, which a McCain adviser recently called "real Virginia," McCain is still leading. He's also up among veterans...

Palin heading to Raleigh Saturday Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on October 28, 2008 - 4:34pm. Tags: President '08 | Raleigh | Richard Burr | Sarah Palin | Under the Dome Sarah Palin will be in Raleigh Saturday night. The Republican vice presidential candidate will hold an hourlong event in the capital city, according to Sen. Richard Burr. It will likely be the last event of the presidential campaign in North Carolina. Details on the event are not yet available.

Declaring a state of emergency in Florida because of long voting lines, Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday extended early voting hours across the state to 12 hours a day. The executive order comes after record early voting turnout has contributed to long lines at polling sites. Current Florida law allows for early voting to be conducted eight hours a day each weekday and for a total of eight hours during the weekends. With Crist's order, early voting sites will be open the rest of this week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. They will be open a total of 12...

M still down in NV and PA, but 0's lead has been cut in half and M is closing in on NV as well. And we know that Rasmussen oversamples Democrats, the actually number in PA is probably now within striking distance.

Crowd Packs Stadium for Palin posted 5:34 pm Mon October 27, 2008 reporter: Matt Dreyer A record-breaking crowd is at Salem Stadium waiting to hear from Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin. This is thought to be the largest crowd ever to gather at the stadium. Palin is scheduled to take the stage at about 6:45 for this rally in Battleground Virginia. They are getting anxious, plenty of anticipation as they await Sarah Palin's arrival. For Republicans in our area, this is their first chance to see someone from the presidential ticket, and it was an opportunity they would not...

As the presidential race narrows to a handful of states where the two candidates are clawing to get over the top, Florida would be each man's top prize. And the Tampa Bay area is their key to Florida. As in 2000 and 2004, the race here has exploded in a welter of television ads, "robocalls," visiting celebrities and mega-rallies. The result, according to experts, political insiders and a rash of conflicting polls, is a race in Florida that's simply too close to call. Either candidate could win. But for John McCain and Barack Obama, a win would have drastically different...

John McCain "Joe the Plumber" Rally Everglades Lumber 6991 S.W. 8 Street Miami, FL 33144 Wednesday, October 29, 2008 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (Doors Open: 7:30 a.m.) 10.27.08 Video: John McCain Talks To CBS 4 - Miami, Ft. Lauderdale - - All eyes are on Florida as a key state to win the 2008 presidential election, and because of this both candidates are doing heavy campaigning throughout the state, and addressing problems that affect our state in particular. John McCain talked with CBS4's Antonio Mora, in a one-on-one interview about what his plans are for the economy. And he...

Join Senator McCain in a Victory Rally when he comes to Mentor High School This Thursday, October 30th. October 27th, 2008 Rally begins at 6:00pm, doors open at 3:00pm. Tickets available on a first come first serve basis at Republican Headquarters, 85 North Park Place, Painesville. Tickets should be available by noon on Wednesday, but please call first (440-357-1200) to verify that they have arrived.

The conventional wisdom, which I share, is that Barack Obama will win this election, perhaps by a healthy margin. But Democrats are nervous wrecks; they're having nightmares that defeat will be snatched from the jaws of victory. To add to their misery (and guard against complacency), here's how that horror film could play out: In the end, the problem was the LIVs. That's short for "low-information voters", the three-fifths of the electorate that shows up once every four years to vote for president but mostly hates politics. These are the 75 million folks who didn't vote in the primaries. They...

UTICA, New York - Reuters/Zogby telephone surveys of eight battleground states show Democrat Barack Obama ahead in six. While his lead over Republican John McCain is less than three points in Florida, Missouri and North Carolina, these results still point out the daunting task McCain faces to reach the 270 Electoral College votes needed for election. The surveys were conducted from Oct. 23-26. Sample sizes in each state ranged from 600-603, with a margin of error of +/-4.1%. == Florida == Obama: 47.2 McCain: 46.9 Other/Not Sure: 5.9 McCain is winning 16% of Democrats compared to Obama's 10% with Republicans....

Virginia: Obama 52, McCain 45 Ohio:Obama 49.7, McCain 45 Nevada: Obama 48, McCain 44 Missouri: Obama 48, McCain 46 Florida: Obama 47, McCain 47 I only post these because I think they are not bad, considering the source.

I was having dinner a night ago with a friend of mine who is a statistician for a well-regarded private polling company. They do some work for Republicans in California, but most of the work they do is for Democrats or Democrat-leaning operations (Unions, etc.). Anyway, her shop was retained to do a few Presidential polls for targetted states on behalf of a union so the union could decide where to spend their ad dollars for the last week. They did Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Missouri. After mocking the hell out of...

Sorry if this was posted earlier... Sound and video quality aren't the best, but you can defintely tell that she draws a lot of enthusiasm...

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM Address: Salem Civic Center 1001 Roanoke Boulevard Salem, VA Please Join Governor Sarah Palin For a Road to Victory Rally in Roanoke, VA Monday October 27th Salem Civic Center 1001 Roanoke Boulevard Salem, VA Doors open at 3:30 p.m. Please wear something red to remind everyone to keep Virginia Red this November! Tickets are available online or by visiting one of the designated Virginia Victory offices between 9:00am and 9:00 p.m. EDT. Please click here to RSVP online for this event Ticket Locations Roanoke Regional Victory Headquarters 3904 Franklin Road SW,...

All the hand-wringing about whether Obama can hold Pennsylvania - forget it, he's got it. Virginia? McCain - no question. I was having dinner a night ago with a friend of mine who is a statistician for a well-regarded private polling company. They do some work for Republicans in California, but most of the work they do is for Democrats or Democrat-leaning operations (Unions, etc.). Anyway, her shop was retained to do a few Presidential polls for targeted states on behalf of a union so the union could decide where to spend their ad dollars for the last week. They...

MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said Thursday he will appeal a court ruling today that threw out his lawsuit to force officials to cross-check information on voter rolls. "I believe today's decision was an erroneous interpretation of the law," the Republican attorney general said. "When a lower court gets the law wrong, parties appeal to a higher court, and that's what I will do. Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi dismissed the lawsuit Thursday, saying Van Hollen lacked the authority to sue to force the state Government Accountability Board to comply with the federal...

As you settle in with your bowl of popcorn and drink to watch the quadrennial competition for America's highest office, you need a scorecard. You are eagerly anticipating seeing the national map light up in red and blue--a welcome reminder of our federalist design--but what should you be watching for? How will you know whether John McCain is doing well enough to have any shot of pulling off the upset? There are only ten states that were decided by 5 percent or less in each of the last two presidential elections: Ohio, Nevada, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Oregon (yes, Oregon),...

A New York-based organization has sent copies of a movie about Islamist extremism to more than 28 million houses and religious institutions in presidential election battleground states over the past several weeks... Members of several Muslim groups have condemned the film, saying that it is inflammatory and that it could incite violence against them. "It's a mind-boggling massive campaign. When you send material like this almost exclusively to presidential swing states that sends a message that you are trying to influence the election," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. "It's inappropriate as a nonprofit...

After mocking the hell out of the voter id spreads used by Rassmussen, Zogby, etc. (and this is coming from a committed Dem who will be voting for Barry O) she said the results of their polling lead her to believe that McCain will definitely win FL, OH, NC, MO and NV.

October 25, 2008--Today the GOP vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin made stops in Iowa. She first appeared in Sioux City this morning before making a stop right here in Des Moines. Thousands gathered at Hy-Vee Hall Saturday afternoon to cheer on their "hockey mom" candidate. Channel 13's Emily Carlson reports Governor Palin used today's rally to focus on how she and McCain are different from opponents senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden. From housing to health care to her main focus of the day, taxes, Palin wants Iowans to see the stark contrast between the two parties. Palin said if...

The first of McCain's three Colorado stops Friday began with introductions by two former Broncos. John Lynch and John Elway warmed up the crowd to ear-splitting applause. Elway said McCain knows how to show "leadership and sacrifice for the good of the team." Turning to the candidate, he said "It's the fourth quarter, and some have counted you out. But I know a thing or two about comebacks." Elway urged everyone to vote. "We need to put someone in the White House who puts country first." Early in the event, protesters disrupted McCain's speech. A small group was chanting and...

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2008 It is my great honor to announce that Linda Ramone, the wife of the late legend Johnny Ramone will be joining me to campaign for my father in Nevada on Monday and Tuesday. I couldn't be more excited and humbled if Elvis himself came out on the road with me. Looking forward to sharing with you what its like to campaign with a legend!

Palin Rally Link Here: WANE.com

The Cincinnati Enquirer: This is a time for a president with deep experience and proven character, a president who thrives in the great, good, honest middle ground in which most Americans live, a president forthright enough to tell us what we'd rather not hear, a president with the courage to follow his convictions and the grit to persevere. This is Sen. John McCain's time. ... McCain offers up his compelling biography as a war hero, his admirable candor and his centrist independence in an increasingly polarized political environment. A McCain administration would chart a wiser course on the economy than...

Talk about your Western states shoot-out. The California Republican Party is sending $3 million to neighboring states of Nevada and Colorado to help in last minute get out the vote efforts in the critical battlegrounds. That's $2 million to Colorado and $1 million to Nevada, we're told.

-- SNIP Among the 800 likely Missouri voters polled last week, 48 percent backed Obama, while 47 percent favored McCain. Three percent preferred one of three third-party candidates, and two percent were undecided. Although statistically insignificant, Obama's lead is his first in Missouri against McCain in any Research 2000 polls this year. The previous poll, in late September, showed McCain with a one-point edge. -- SNIP Ali says Obama's strength with voters on economic issues is undoubtedly helping his cause. More than half of those polled in Missouri (52 percent) said they trusted his judgment more on the economy, compared...

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe released a memo today that pointed out that the early voting statistics in North Carolina, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Florida and Iowa. 20% of all early voting Colorado Democrats had never voted in an election before, and have an almost 300,000 new voter advantage in North Carolina. In North Carolina 56% of the early votes were cast by Democrats, compared to 48% in 2004. In Nevada 53% of the early votes cast have been Democratic compared to 32% Republican. This is an increase of 8% for the Democrats and 4% for the Republicans. In Iowa...

Palin to headline second Indiana rally in eight days Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin makes her second Indiana appearance in eight days Saturday night, with a rally in Fort Wayne. The Alaska governor and self-described hockey mom speaks at 7:15 p.m. at Memorial Coliseum, the home ice of the Fort Wayne Komets. GOP officials expect a packed house of 15,000 people. State party spokesman Jay Kenworthy says Palin's appearance last week in Noblesville sparked the party's biggest turnout of volunteers in at least four years. He's hoping for a similar effect this time. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is scheduled...

Sen. John McCain has earned Americans' trust during a period measured in decades, from his valiant service in the military to his time in Congress. For a variety of reasons involving both domestic and foreign policy, The Intelligencer endorses McCain and urges voters to elect him as our next president. In 2005, McCain and three other senators attempted to correct major flaws in policy regarding "Fannie Mae" and "Freddie Mac." Liberals, including Sen. Barack Obama, defeated the measure. Had it passed, the current economic downturn probably would have been avoided. At the very least, it would have been less severe....

From Obama to Biden and now Sarah Palin, our area seems like a must-visit place. On Monday, Sarah Palin will come to the Salem Civic Center for the Republican campaign. Ten On Your Side checked in with political analyst, Dr. Bob Denton. “First time in my adult life that I’ve been in what is a legitimate battleground state, and it is so different in terms of the number of ads, the visits,” he said. For example, Obama’s held numerous rallies to gain votes in our part of the commonwealth that usually votes Republican. Now, the McCain campaign will come to...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Nadean Meeks wrapped herself in a parka for five hours Friday, waiting for Sarah Palin to fire her up about the GOP's chances of winning Missouri on Nov. 4. "It was worth every second," she said. "I shook her hand!" chimed in daughter-in-law Connie Meeks, who huddled with Nadean all that time in the parking lot of the big Bass Pro Shops. They came at 7:30 a.m., still four hours after the first arrivals, against a bracing wind and threatening skies, to get as close as possible to the hockey mom who would be vice president and...

President Obama? Not so fast, says The New Republic’s Noam Scheiber. John McCain doesn’t need a “catastrophic external event” to defeat Obama on Election Day, Scheiber says. “I happen to think Obama’s chances of winning are upward of 80 percent,” he writes at The Plank, his magazine’s political blog. He later adds, “But, truth be told, I can imagine a losing scenario that doesn’t involve outside events. It goes something like this: Obama wins all the Kerry states plus Iowa and New Mexico, giving him 264 electoral votes, then narrowly loses the rest of the red states where he’s currently...

Anyone else here going?

The presidential race in New Hampshire has grown closer, with Barack Obama now leading John McCain 50% to 46%, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state. At the beginning of the month, the Democrat held a ten point lead over his opponent, which shifted New Hampshire from “toss-up� to “leans Democratic� in the Rasmussen Balance of Power Calculator. In the eight polls prior to October, Obama has held the lead in five, McCain in three. Voters in New Hampshire are divided on who they trust more on the top issue of the economy, with Obama holding...

Below are the results of a three-day poll of likely voters in the state of Ohio. Results are based on telephone interviews with 1200 likely voters in Ohio, aged 18+, and conducted October 20-22, 2008 by telephone. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. 1. If the election for President were held today would you support the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joseph Biden or the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin? McCain/Palin 48% Obama/Biden 45% Other 2% Undecided 5% 2. Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Barack Obama? Favorable 49% Unfavorable...

Thursday, October 23, 2008 Colorado Early Voting Shows a Close Race Despite the polls showing Senator Barack Obama with a significant lead over John McCain in Colorado, 9News reports that the early numbers for the first two days of voting show the race may be close. According to early voting statistics posted by Colorado’s Secretary of State on Tuesday, 96,104 mail-in ballots were returned by Democrats. Republicans turned in 99,306. When looking at the number of voters who showed up at early voting centers, 9,173 were Democrats and 6,309 were Republicans.

Tampa Convention Center - East Hall <> 333 South Franklin Street; Tampa, FL 33602; Sunday, October 26, 2008; Doors open at 9:00 a.m.; Program Begins at 11:00 a.m. Silver Spur Arena <> 1875 Silver Spurs Lane; Kissimmee, FL 34744; Sunday, October 26, 2008; Doors open at 12:00 p.m.; Program Begins at 2:00 p.m.; Beginning 3 p.m. Friday, tickets can be obtained at the following McCain-Palin Victory Offices TAMPA RALLY: 142 West Platt Street Tampa, FL 33606 813-254-8010 800 Lumsden Boulevard Brandon, FL 33510 813-657-6499 6904 West Linebaugh Ave Tampa, FL 33625 813-454-1735 6904 West Linebaugh Ave Tampa, FL 33625 813-454-1735...

Ohio: McCain/Palin 48%, Obama/Biden 45%; Florida: McCain/Palin 48%, Obama/Biden 46% Below are the poll results are based on telephone interviews with 1200 likely voters in Florida, aged 18+, and conducted October 20-22, 2008. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. Below are the results of a three-day poll of likely voters in the state of Ohio. Results are based on telephone interviews with 1200 likely voters in Ohio, aged 18+, and conducted October 20-22, 2008 by telephone. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.