McCain fights back in battleground states as Obama edges forward in polls | Jamie Dean
Photos by Charles Dharapak/Pool/Getty Images
CONCORD, N.C.—Hours after Sen. Barack Obama gained the October endorsement of former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell and announced raising $150 million in a single month, Sen. John McCain said he wasn't worried: "I love being the underdog."
If McCain relishes that role, it's a good thing: The Republican candidate is limited to spending the $84 million in public financing he accepted in September. Obama declined public funds, and began October with $134 million in the bank—meaning he is prepared to dominate pre-election airwaves (see sidebar).
In the final stretch of a nearly two-year presidential race, McCain trailed Obama in national polls, though the gap fluctuated throughout the final weeks before Election Day. Adding to the bad news for Republicans, the global financial crisis threatened once-secure Republican seats in the Senate, and fueled speculation about Democrats winning a filibuster-proof majority.
Poll closing timesâ€
6 p.m.
Indiana*, Kentucky*
7 p.m.
Florida*, Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia
7:30 p.m.
Ohio, West Virginia
8 p.m.
Alabama, Connecticut, Delware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan*, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota*, Tennessee, Texas*
8:30 p.m.
Arkansas, North Carolina
9 p.m.
Arizona, Colorado, Kansas*, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Wyoming
10 p.m.
Idaho*, Iowa, North Dakota*, Montana, Nevada, Oregon*, Utah
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COVER STORY |
Issue: 
No pious baloney
