November 04, 2008	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 5, 1429

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Nov 3: Democrat Barack Obama is likely to win Tuesday’s US presidential election but his Republican rival John McCain is not out of the race yet.

As the 2008 presidential campaign drew to close, the latest opinion polls gave Senator Obama a 10-point lead over Senator McCain. The final USA Today/ Gallup pre-election poll, released on Monday, showed Mr Obama with a 55 per cent to 44 per cent advantage over Mr McCain.

The trend data clearly showed Mr Obama ending the campaign with eight to 11 percentage point leads in Gallup’s last four reports extending back to Oct 28. Mr Obama’s final leads among both registered voters and likely voters are the largest of the campaign.

Another poll by Reuters/Zogby International, also released on Monday, predicted that Senator Obama was winning in six of eight key battleground states, including the big prizes of Florida and Ohio.

“We are on the cusp of a new brand of American leadership,” declared Mr Obama’s running mate Joe Biden.

But Mr McCain was still hopeful. “The pundits may not know it, and the Democrats may not know it, but the Mac is back. We’re going to win this election,” he told an enthusiastic rally in Florida.

Both candidates capped their gruelling campaigns with a dash from Florida through a half-dozen other crucial states. With little sleep, Mr McCain darted through seven swing states on Monday, arguing that victory was virtually at hand despite national polls showing otherwise.

Mr Obama spent the last day of his historic campaign in states that usually vote Republican, addressing rallies in Jacksonville, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina, and Manassas, Virginia.

The vice-presidential candidates were also on the road. Democrat Joe Biden campaigned in Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin campaigned in Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada before flying overnight to Alaska to vote. She then flies back to the mainland for spending the election night in Phoenix.

Senator Obama received a key endorsement from a former rival on Sunday night when Senator Hillary Clinton appeared at rally at the George Mason University to reject a suggestion by the McCain campaign that she wants her supporters to vote for him.

“If you were there for me, I am asking you to do everything you can in these closing hours to win Virginia for Obama,” she said.

The Republican National Committee has disseminated a recording of Senator Clinton made during the Democratic primary, implying Mr McCain is more fit for the presidency. The original statement was intended to tout Mrs Clinton as the better candidate to face Mr McCain.“In the White House, there is no time for speeches and on-the-job training. Senator McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the campaign and Senator Obama will bring a speech he gave in 2004. I think that is a significant difference,” said Mrs Clinton in the recording used by Republicans.

During the Sunday night rally, Mrs Clinton said of the recording: “My name is Hillary Clinton and I do not approve that message.”

The former first lady also alluded to a potential sea change in Virginia’s political persuasion, which voted for Republicans in the past.

“There is a chance for you to be on the winning side in this election. … Virginia will make a difference in this election,” said Mrs Clinton.