Obama and Romney focus on Ohio as race for White House tightens

Barack Obama worked to hang on to his slim lead in the crucial battleground state of Ohio and bounce back from a disappointing debate performance that re-energised the campaign of Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Oct 2012, 07:00 BST

Mr Romney was also in Ohio, intensifying his efforts to seize a Midwestern state that could decide the close race for the White House.

A victory in Ohio is critical for both candidates but especially for Mr Romney. No Republican has ever won the presidency without carrying Ohio.

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Mr Obama has held a polling edge in the state for weeks but there are signs that his advantage is narrowing. A new CNN poll showed him leading Mr 
Romney 51 per cent to 47 per 
cent among likely Ohio voters. 
Republican strategists said the race was even closer – within one per cent – as the candidate enjoyed a post-debate surge of support.

The president is chosen in state-by-state elections, not a national popular vote. Each state gets one electoral vote for each of its representatives in the House and Senate. There are 538 votes in the Electoral College, and a candidate must have at least 270 to win. Except for Maine and Nebraska, states award all their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the state.

The system makes states like Ohio – with its 18 electoral votes and a population that is neither reliably Republican nor Democratic – fierce battlegrounds. Ohio decided the 2004 race in favour of Republican George Bush over Democrat John Kerry.

Both candidates campaigned hard in the state on Tuesday, 
the last day of voter registration ahead of election day, four weeks away.

Related topics:OhioJohn Kerry