Ohio, Pennsylvania may hold key to White House

FIGHT TO THE FINISH

Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 2, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Meanwhile, the Obama and McCain campaigns are intensifying their fight to the end, including massive get-out-the-vote (GOTV) operations in more than a dozen battleground states, millions of telephone calls, mailings and door-knockings.

The Wall Street Journal said the national and state Democratic parties are spending far more heavily than Republicans on field operations, after years of ceding the advantage in ground-level organizing to the Republican voter-turnout machine.

Finance records show Democrats have hired five to 10 times more paid field staff in swing states than the Republicans.

The Los Angeles Times said McCain has targeted a wealthy area just north of Columbus as one of 15 counties in Ohio where he needs to drive up his vote tally if he is to beat Obama on Tuesday in this must-win state.

But on Friday night, only nine volunteers manned the 24 phones in the McCain campaign office.

In contrast, the Obama campaign has flooded the area with volunteers.