Live streams

USA Votes 2012

Obama, Romney Campaign in Key Battleground States

President Barack Obama is greeted by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel upon his arrival on Air Force One at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Oct. 25, 2012.
President Barack Obama is greeted by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel upon his arrival on Air Force One at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Oct. 25, 2012.

Related Articles

TEXT SIZE - +
Dan Robinson

October 25, 2012

WHITE HOUSE — President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney continue to campaign across the country with the U.S. presidential election less than two weeks away.  President Obama cast an early vote in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, while Mitt Romney held rallies in the key state of Ohio.

Concluding what he called his "48-hour-fly-around-marathon campaign extravaganza" across the country, Obama flew on Air Force One from Los Angeles, California to Tampa, Florida.

Florida is hotly contested, although recent polls have shown  Romney ahead there.  After Florida it was on to Virginia, another important battleground state where a win could be crucial, as both men seek 270 electoral votes needed to secure victory November 6.

Obama used his appearance in Richmond to comment about a high-profile endorsement from former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

"I was proud and humbled to learn that we have Colin Powell's support in this campaign.  I am grateful to him for his lifetime of service to his country both as a soldier and as a diplomat, and every brave American who wears this uniform of this country should know that as long as I am your commander-in-chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known," said President Obama.

At each stop, the president used the term "Romnesia" to describe what he calls the former Massachusetts governor's shifting positions on domestic and foreign policy issues.

"If you can't remember what you said just a week ago, if you can't remember the plans on your own web site, and you're worried you might be coming down with a case of Romnesia, I want you to know Obamacare covers pre-existing conditions.  We can make you well," said Obama.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on campaign trip in Worthington, Ohio, Oct. 25, 2012Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on campaign trip in Worthington, Ohio, Oct. 25, 2012
x
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on campaign trip in Worthington, Ohio, Oct. 25, 2012
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on campaign trip in Worthington, Ohio, Oct. 25, 2012
Romney campaigned at a steel company in Ohio where the race is tight.  Polls show President Obama with a slight lead, and electoral analysts say the state with its 18 electoral votes could be the deciding factor in the election.

Romney attacked what he called the smallness of Obama's campaign, saying Americans cannot afford four more years of the president's leadership.

"The president's campaign is slipping because he cannot find an agenda.  He has been looking for it.  There are only 12 days left.  He has not had a chance to defend it or to describe it to the American people in our debates, and so the American people now have to recognize that given the big challenges we have and the big election we have, it is time for a big change," said Romney.

Before ending his marathon cross-country campaign trip, President Obama's last stop before returning to Washington was to his hometown of Chicago.

There, he became the first U.S. president to cast his own early ballot in a presidential contest.  Obama's wife, Michelle, cast her own early ballot last week.

With the U.S. election only two weeks away, polls continue to show the race essentially tied.  Both campaigns are hoping to sway undecided voters, and will be concentrating their efforts in the nine battleground states right up until election day.


Battleground states in the 2012 U.S. presidential electionBattleground states in the 2012 U.S. presidential election
x
Battleground states in the 2012 U.S. presidential election
Battleground states in the 2012 U.S. presidential election



​
This forum has been closed.
Comment Sorting
Comments
     
by: Ray from: Poulan
October 26, 2012 5:15 PM
Report Comment
What America needs is continuity of strong leadership from Obama --Reggie, i agree we've been waiting almost 4 years and got nothing, but 5 Trillion dollars in debt w/China.And leaving our troops & personnel to die on their own. 4more years of obama you want know this country..All you folks that vote for him either don't know what he is or don't care.. Check WND.COM and other places other than abc,cbs nbc msnbc pbs . Read, read, read..obama will finish ruining the usa he hates it..He don't care about u me or any other American,He has nothing for us. Think about it.

by: Rick from: Texas
October 26, 2012 3:27 PM
Report Comment
How can anyone claim that Obama has done a good job. Walk out the front door remove your blinders and look around. Our country is in shambles, the economy is worse than before he took office, and prices have gone skyrocketing in the past four years. I don't understand people still being a believer in Obama when he has done nothing but put this country into further debt and created bills like Obamacare which will cost this nation trillions of dollars to maintain.

by: Reggie from: Des Moines
October 26, 2012 4:04 AM
Report Comment
What America needs is continuity of strong leadership from Obama to continue repairing the damage from the global crisis and past wars. We need someone who opens opportunities for EVERYONE, not just the lucky/wealthy 1%. A former CEO will just bring corruption and profit making for the few plus tax evasion, outsourcing jobs to China and crony-ism.

by: manoj kaushal from: mandi gobindgarh,PUNJAB,
October 26, 2012 1:16 AM
Report Comment
in indai,maxium people want that obama become president.....

by: Brandt Hardin
October 25, 2012 3:53 PM
Report Comment
If Obama loses the election, you can blame/thank the Right for bamboozling him. How is it ethical that an entire news network questions the President’s citizenship for four years to create doubt in voters while a fringe element of the far right demonizes and degrades him? Most of this is financed by the rich who want to keep their stranglehold on the flow of wealth in our country. Watch the white hands apply the Blackface to our first African-American President at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2012/10/bamboozling-obama.html

by: ema from: 9999
October 25, 2012 2:28 PM
Report Comment
Economy: The last 4 years have been dictated by the financial crises –corruption and greed. The president must take serious the corruption and establish trust to put the economy on the road to recovery. The debt can only be paid back when the economy recovers, however we must make efforts to control spending. Obama wins hands down, as he has not been offering empty promises backed by flip-flopping on policies. Obama is also more on the legal side, while Romney is more used to working by different rules.

Health: Health is a central part of the economy. Allowing a minor condition to grow into a major illness stops people working. There are now numerous articles demonstrating that shared expenditure on health care is best. Romney has flip-flopped to support Obama care – so there is now little difference. Ensuring your economic assets, us, are kept in good condition – which is cheaper dollar for dollar on the economy, is a no brainer.

Think: America is built on science and tech, religion has no place in politics. Just look to Iran, there are numerous examples of how to go backwards.

In Response
by: robert gillett from: utah
October 26, 2012 4:36 PM
Report Comment
Ema obama is as corrupt as any politician ive ever seen in office and flip flop is just a name politicians use to help them win an election. As Romney said in the economy debate hes been in business many years unlike Obama and to his knowledge there is not tax break for taking business's over seas. If there is a break for the companies thats do go over seas its the lower wages they pay. if you go back to 2008 and all the promises Obama made the only one i can see hes done is Obama Care and that was done on a late saturday nite pushed through by the democratic congress. And even now after yrs of study it looks like from all who will say in the next yrs it will cost not only the rich but even the poor and Obamas middle class much more in permiums and expenses. Middle class being those thats earn over 250,000 id love to be in the middle class if thats how much they make I've thought i was in middle class but i guess im the not so poor poor

by: NVO from: usa
October 25, 2012 9:22 AM
Report Comment
Its NOT about party vs party, it IS about the NEW WORLD ORDER rising! WAKE UP PEOPLE!

by: Mo Animus from: Florida
October 25, 2012 6:36 AM
Report Comment
I'm still waiting for Obamas explanation for his incompetence surrounding the Benghazi attack. I wish he would focus on that and tell the truth.

In Response
by: Ray from: Poulan
October 26, 2012 4:50 PM
Report Comment
Mo Animus , You'll wait a long time before he tells the truth about anything.He always says one thing and does something else. Thats the reason so many people don't know him. 4 more years of him wasting our money and we speak chinese. How can anybody spend 5 Trillion dollars in 3 years ?

In Response
by: robert gillett from: utah
October 26, 2012 4:37 PM
Report Comment
not sure you will ever see that happen

In Response
by: Maximis from: MA
October 25, 2012 10:24 PM
Report Comment
Why didn't Romney bring the issue up in the last debate on foreign policy? This would be a better question. Terrorist organizations are antagonizing the US into another war. My belief is that they would prefer a Romney/Ryan election because they feel that Republicans are more easily persuaded into war. They want to weaken our economy to the point of destruction.

by: Tommy Gilchrist
October 25, 2012 5:56 AM
Report Comment
What is clear is that President Obama’s pathway to victory is straight and narrow; he has a variety of different paths along which he can walk to victory against an electoral arithmetic nightmare for Governor Romney (see my thoughts: http://goo.gl/FsfQv).

It would take a monument upset in Obama’s campaign, or a significant upturn in Romney’s, for the Republicans to retake the presidency; it would be a taste of revenge for the Democrats if Romney were denied the White House in a similar manner to Gore in 2000.

VOA Election Night TV Coverage

Loading
12:00:00 / -:--:--
⎚

More Election News

No records found for this widget:2883

More Articles
Election Blog

Poll Numbers

Loading...

Margin of error +/-2 percentage points