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Stakes raised as gap narrows

Washington: U.S. Senators Barack Obama and John McCain on Wednesday rode out intense speculation about their choice of running mates and took their campaigns to key battleground states, each candidate hoping to gain an edge in a tightening presidential contest.

Both campaigns released new hard-hitting advertisements amid polls showing Mr. McCain narrowing the gap, or even slightly overtaking Mr. Obama. Overall the two candidates appeared virtually locked in their race for the White House.

In the Los Angeles Times-Bloomberg poll, Mr. Obama led Mr. McCain nationally 45 per cent to 43 per cent. The same poll gave Mr. Obama a 12-point lead in June.

A Zogby International poll showed Mr. McCain ahead with 46 per cent compared with 41 per cent for the Democrat. Mr. Obama had led Mr. McCain by similar margins, 47 per cent to 40 per cent, in a poll last month.

Further polling of battleground states by Republican and Democratic pollsters also pointed to recent gains by Mr. McCain, particularly among independent voters. He now has a 10-point advantage among independent voters, a field Mr. Obama led in May. But overall support shows a tie, with Mr. McCain at 47 per cent support and Mr. Obama at 46 per cent.

Despite the signs of slippage for Mr. Obama, Michael McDonald, a politics professor at Virginia’s George Mason University, said the shift could merely reflect consolidating Republican support around Mr. McCain.

“Obama has apparently lost some support, but we are still in a lock,” he said, adding: “We’ve essentially been in a holding pattern since the nominations were wrapped up.”

That is now about to change. New ads signalled the approach of a more intense phase of the campaign, following the announcement of running mates and the party’s nominating conventions. The Democrats hold their convention in Denver next week, with the Republicans meeting in St Paul, Minnesota, the week after.

In a new TV ad that would go on air in eight battleground states, including Colorado and Virginia, Mr. Obama accuses Mr. McCain of cozying up to big business with corporate tax breaks at the expense of ordinary Americans. “Can we really afford more of the same?” the announcer asks. The McCain campaign’s new radio ad begins by repeating the Republican’s charge that Mr. Obama is a mere celebrity, rather than a serious candidate. It ends with a more conventional line of attack that the Democratic candidate would raise taxes.

Even with the new ads, the focus remained on the candidates’ choice of running mates. Mr. Obama, who began a two-day tour through Virginia, a once safe Republican state, is expected to announce his choice of running mate any day in text and e-mail messages to supporters.

So far, speculation remains focused on Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, Delaware Senator Joe Biden, and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.

The suspense would end on Saturday, at the latest, when Mr. Obama is due to return with the new running mate to the spot where he launched his campaign in Springfield, Illinois.

Mr. McCain’s campaign appearance in the battleground state of New Mexico on Wednesday was also overshadowed by speculation about his choice for running mate. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

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