In two small moments today, one an old tradition, the other an unexpected surprise, President Obama and Mitt Romney each glimpsed victory in today's election.
In the final hours of the campaign, both men did what they felt was necessary to ensure victory. For the president that meant a traditional game of basketball, a game he has played before every major election that he has won.
The president, who voted early last month, remained in his home state of Illinois today joining old friends and confidants on a basketball court in Chicago following a morning on television satellite interviews to voters in swing states.
Among those on the court were Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Obama's former body man Reggie Love.
Obama skipped playing the pre-election game before just one race, the 2008 New Hampshire primary which he subsequently lost. Since then, the game has become a campaign superstition.
The Romney campaign kept stumping until the last minute, holding rallies in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Tune in to ABCNews.com for livestreaming coverage of Election 2012. Our Election Day show kicks off at noon, and the Election Night event begins at 7 p.m.
Upon arriving in Pittsburgh this afternoon, Romney got off his plane to find an unexpected crowd of people packed into a garage across from the tarmac to greet him.
Romney, visibly moved by the size of the crowd, walked to the fence that separated him from his supporters and stood for several moments with his hand to his heart as the crowd cheered.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Mitt Romney Votes, Feels 'Great' About Ohio
Watch Video "That's when you know you're going to win," Romney told reporters.
Both campaigns toned down the rhetoric now that voting has begun.
In Green Tree, Pa., Romney thanked volunteers and told them that in getting out the vote today they "don't need to be disparaging of the other guy. The president has run a strong campaign, I believe he is a good man and wish him well, and his family well... but it is time for a new direction. It is a time for a better tomorrow."
Obama visited his campaign workers and after thanking them said, "Congratulations to Gov. Romney on a spirited campaign....I know his supporters are just as engaged."
The costliest election in United States history is also one of the closest as voters formed long lines to finally pick their president after a long and divisive campaign.
After spending nearly $1 billion apiece, Romney and the president are today in much the same place they were months ago at the campaign's outset. The president leads his Republican challenger by so small a margin it is statistically insignificant in most places.
The tightness of the race was expressed at midnight, when the first town to open and close its polls, the tiny hamlet of Dixville Notch, N.H., evenly split its vote five to five.
Mitt and Ann Romney cast their ballots this about 9 a.m. in Bedford, Mass., where the candidate remarked that he's feeling "very good" about his chances today.
Asked who he voted for, Romney responded, "I think you know."
Romney traveled today to Ohio and Pennsylvania for last-minute campaign stops. Ohio has emerged as a key to a Romney victory.
Asked about his chances in Ohio, Romney said,"I feel great about Ohio."
The Romneys, accompanied by their son Tagg, were greeted by chants of "Romney! Romney!" and a sign that read "Mitt and Ann enjoy your new White House."
Romney also scheduled interviews with radio stations in Ohio and Virginia.
The fate of the election will rest on the outcomes in a few hard-fought swing states â€" Florida, Virginia, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and most crucially Ohio.
Victory or defeat may very well come down to Ohio, a battleground whose 18 electoral votes may be as critical this year as Florida was in 2000. Both candidates know it, and have spent more time there than anywhere else.
Ohio, or possibly Wisconsin, where Romney has trailed for months, create "a very narrow path to electoral college victory," said Matthew Dowd and Republican strategist and ABC News consultant.
He said the first key state where polls will close is Virginia and a defeat or victory there for Romney could be crucial to the rest of his night.
沒有留言:
張貼留言