US Elections Analysis: Your Guide to the 3 Biggest "Swing States" and the Challenge for Mitt Romney
Sunday, September 30, 2012 at 8:40President Obama in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Thursday
After the electoral votes from these near-certainties, the election comes down to seven or eight "swing states". Of these, three --- Florida, Ohio, and Virginia --- are vital because their larger number of votes in the Electoral College. To win the election, Romney needs to triumph in two of the three. That is why more than half the money spent by both campaigns has been devoted to the trio of battlegrounds.
The cold challenge for the Romney campaign is that the polls put Obama ahead in all three. Florida is close, with President Obama enjoying a narrow 4% advantage, but in both Ohio and Virginia his lead is about 8%.
So why, despite these numbers, are Republicans hopeful that Mitt Romney can still win?