President Obama today appeared to be closing in on a second term as polls put him ahead in nine key states with five weeks to go before the election.
Republican challenger Mitt Romney is looking to shift the dynamics of the race in their first presidential debate on Wednesday.
Mr Obama headed to Las Vegas yesterday for a rally and planned to stay in Nevada with his advisers as he prepared for the debate. Mr Romney remained in Boston going through preparations of his own.
Prominent Romney supporter, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, said he expected Mr Romney’s performance in the debate to shake up the campaign after a “tough couple of weeks”. He predicted Mr Romney would do “extraordinarily well” and that come Thursday morning, “this whole race is going to be turned upside down”.
But Mr Obama is enjoying a burst of momentum and has benefited from growing optimism about the economy as well as a series of Romney stumbles. If the election were held today, an Associated Press analysis shows Mr Obama would win at least 271 electoral votes, passing the 270 mark needed for victory, with wins in crucial Ohio, Iowa and the District of Columbia. Mr Romney would win 23 states for a total of 206 electoral votes.
To oust the Democratic incumbent Mr Romney needs to take up-for-grabs Florida, Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Virginia. But the polls show Mr Obama enjoying a steady lead in most of them.
