To many citizens tired of the campaign s dominance of the news, November 7 can t come fast enough. But to the band of about one-fourth of the electorate that still hasn t firmly made up its mind yet between Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush, the coming weeks will be pivotal. And nobody knows that better than the candidates. National polls show Gore and Bush running neck and neck. But neither is close to having a lock on the 270 electoral votes needed to win.
Most analysts still see the race as very fluid.
Since last month s Democratic convention, Gore has been gaining in several key states. And many traditional battleground states, most in the Midwest and South, could still go either way. So as the race heads for home, look for the candidates to focus the bulk of their campaigning time and advertising money on those states where polls show the struggle most competitive. States where the candidates feel safe will hardly see them except on the news. Any small thing that happens potentially could make a big difference in the outcome.