Romney, Obama fighting hard in Ohio

The GOP candidate is hoping to use his post-debate to creep past the President, who still leads in the critical battleground state.

By Ben Feller and Kasie Hunt,?The Associated Press / October 9, 2012

Mitt Romney campaigns in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on October 9.

Evan Vucci/AP

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It's still all about Ohio.

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After a strong debate performance, Republican challenger Mitt?Romney?is intensifying his efforts in the state that's critical to his White House hopes, while President Barack Obama works to hang on to the polling edge he's had here for weeks.

Both candidates campaigned hard in the state Tuesday, the last day of voter registration ahead of Election Day, now just four weeks away.

"Find at least one person who voted for Barack Obama last time and convince them to come join our team,"Romney?told voters in Van Meter, Iowa, before hurrying eastward to make a similar pitch in Ohio, where he was campaigning with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Obama, in Columbus, called out, "All right, Buckeyes, we need you." His campaign had buses nearby, ready to ferry students or other supporters to registration centers.

QUIZ:?Are you more (or less) conservative than Mitt Romney?

As Obama wooed Ohio State University students here and?Romney?focused on the Democratic bastion of Cuyahoga County to the north, there were signs the president's Ohio advantage was narrowing. A new CNN poll showed Obama leading?Romney?51 percent to 47 percent among likely Ohio voters. And Republican strategists familiar with?Romney's?internal polling contended the race was even closer ? within a single percentage point ? as the candidate enjoyed a post-debate surge of support.

"I promise you he's back in the game in Ohio," said Charlie Black, an informal?Romney?campaign adviser.

Like other Republicans, he credits?Romney's?strong debate appearance last week as the reason for an uptick in national polling. And?Romney?advisers maintain they're seeing evidence of that in the battleground states most likely to decide the election, Ohio among them.

"There isn't any question that he has breathed new life and new energy into the Republican Party," Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Tuesday on a conference call with reporters. "We're seeing that there is greater intensity among Republicans and a great willingness to get out and vote and participate than we're seeing with Democrats."

With a hefty 18 electoral votes, Ohio is such a key state for?Romney?that one top adviser has dubbed it "the ball game" as the Republican looks to string together enough state victories to amass the 270 Electoral College votes needed to take the White House. No Republican has won the presidency without this Midwestern state, and ifRomney?were to lose here, he would have to carry every other battleground state except tiny New Hampshire.

Romney?has far fewer state-by-state paths to the White House than Obama, who still has several routes to victory should he lose here.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/oeRoz2W7hCk/Romney-Obama-fighting-hard-in-Ohio

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