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What final campaign push reveals about candidates' strategies
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Obama, Romney descend on battleground states
- Duration 6:50
- Date Nov 5, 2012
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Obama, Romney descend on battleground states
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Meantime both candidates descending on the battleground states that matter most.
President Obama kicking off his last day on the campaign trail this morning in Madison Wisconsin.
Well governor Romney started his day off in Sanford Florida and it of course does not end there.
After his -- Wisconsin the president then flies off to Columbus, Ohio followed by a stop in Des Moines, Iowa.
Before ending the day in his hometown of Chicago where he will likely watch the election results come in.
Meantime governor Ronnie visiting four battleground states including Virginia Ohio.
And New Hampshire.
And now we -- told that he will not be arriving in his home town of Belmont Massachusetts.
Until overnight tonight.
So what do the candidates final campaign stops reveal about their strategies and what their internal polling tells them turning now Crist I'll tell Fox News did you.
Politics editor and host a power play on foxnews.com live.
And Michael Barone -- Fox News contributor and a senior political analyst for the Washington examiner Chris let me start with you on that question what does it tell us.
Well it tells us that Mitt Romney is very eager to keep the most likely path to the presidency for him open.
And that's keep it simple win Ohio Mitt Romney can pull out a win and Ohio close what seems to be persistent but small gap.
And win in Ohio his chances of winning the overall presidency are much much higher and that's what he wants to do.
Michael what does it say that that Mitt Romney's now going to be campaigning on Election Day we're told this isn't all that unusual.
But it's not something Barack Obama's gonna do we're told.
Well it tells us that the Romney people are seeing very close election and in multiple states.
In their polling and in the public polling we're seeing the same thing so.
They're not gonna give up for a minute and they're gonna try and make some news and push a few things over that line.
It shows also that they're still kinda nervous about Ohio Iowa -- -- another stop in Ohio.
-- after that big Friday night 30000 crowd down southwest Ohio.
Indicates that they really want to carry Ohio as this President Obama and they're gonna make every effort to do so.
Today we got another prediction and prognostication.
From Larry seven -- and his crystal ball and he is projecting an Obama win these it's keeping -- tight but he thinks that Obama will eke out a win in the end.
This differs before I go back to you Chris from you Michael who project who predicted that that -- is gonna win pretty easily tomorrow night and I know the predictions are all over the board.
But I want -- tell us whether you genuinely believe Mitt Romney is likely to win tomorrow whether that is just -- Hope for you well I don't I don't think that around is gonna win pretty easily I think a lot of the states that I.
Suggested I thought he would win are going to be very very close and you know as I said in my article.
I could easily be wrong about many of them but I think the basic fundamentals you're working for Mitt Romney.
At the unpopularity of Obama.
As major policies.
The fact that you seem to have greater Republican enthusiasm going into this race.
And the fact that most national and state polls have shown Romney carrying independents and Democrats are not likely to have the party identification advantage they had in 2000.
An eight.
-- old president Obama's stopping in Madison Wisconsin.
I think that's a sign that the Obama people are really worried about Wisconsin.
My understanding is that early voting and Dane County which is Madison heavily democratic county has has been below 2008 standards.
And it's just about that equaled by the early voting in the less populous.
Suburban counties around Milwaukee -- -- -- Washington Waukesha.
What we're seeing that Chris.
Across the states that the early voting and -- that the Democrats had in 2008 has been.
Either hobbled or wiped out in many of these swing states and most of the swing states.
And they NB -- folks like you tell me that on Election Day the Republicans typically have the advantage in terms of turnout.
If all of that is true then why don't we still have all these pollsters saying that President Obama is likely to win.
Well this is an impossibly close election this is -- the polls are closer in this -- they weren't 2000.
It is really really really down to the and you we have two new.
Good battleground polls that are out in the last 24 hours and they both show an absolutely tied race in the battleground -- so that's true.
But the things that you identify are also true that the Republican enthusiasm as reflected in early voting.
Would demonstrate that they're gonna do well here's the other and here's the key in all of this.
Republicans outperform polls that's what history tells us it's -- probably a half a point.
Why -- look back because for whatever reason Republicans are less likely to participate in polls it's harder for pollsters to get them to complete surveys and go on the phone so.
What we know over the last twenty years is this the Republicans out perform polls.
By maybe a half point that's the truth now in a tie race you have to like Mitt Romney's chances if things are really tied.
The challenge for him and the reason he's going to Ohio is this.
He's outside of that bubble in closing polls in Ohio he's not there.
But when you look at Michigan and you look at other states including Pennsylvania where we see a -- shaping up.
Mitt Romney likes his chances to outperformed his polls and -- one of those Blue States to read.
I want to ask you before -- -- Michael about Virginia.
And Florida seems like it I -- running.
Now according to most needs to have Florida Virginia and North Carolina to win -- builds from there.
The president spending some time in Florida and more time in Virginia getting a big rally -- big crowd in Virginia the president did over the past couple of days.
Is it likely.
I know you think that governor Romney is going to win those states but how likely is it that they are in jeopardy.
Well I think Florida is pretty clearly in the Romney category we just had a another survey out this morning showing Romney had 5247.
The -- in chris' statement about who's likely to be pulled and that's a pretty good sign for -- Virginia is clearly is closer and Obama did very well in 2000.
And aided particularly in Northern Virginia in in the Hampton roads area with -- big navy bases.
Clearly there's been some erosion for Obama in Virginia.
The balance of polling in my judgment has tended to favor Romney but by a really close march and so.
If well if Obama can carry Virginia that's thirteen electoral votes that Romney really needs to have to get to 270.
And I think that's the reason this campaign is there.
Early voting was down -- democratic strongholds like -- Arlington Alexandria Richmond Norfolk and he wants to get those people out on Election Day.
And when it's so interesting.
The -- tomorrow they'll be at the polls guys thank you both so much you bet but.