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| White House race enters high gear | White House race enters high gear |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The US presidential rivals have begun campaigning in earnest, as a new opinion poll put Republican John McCain ahead of Democrat Barack Obama. | The US presidential rivals have begun campaigning in earnest, as a new opinion poll put Republican John McCain ahead of Democrat Barack Obama. |
| Fresh from being nominated at their party conventions, the two men are now gearing up for the 4 November poll. | Fresh from being nominated at their party conventions, the two men are now gearing up for the 4 November poll. |
| A USA Today-Gallup poll put Mr McCain ahead for the first time in months. | A USA Today-Gallup poll put Mr McCain ahead for the first time in months. |
| Candidates often see a bounce in the polls after the conventions but Mr McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as running mate is being seen as key. | Candidates often see a bounce in the polls after the conventions but Mr McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as running mate is being seen as key. |
| Mr McCain has tried to strike a balance between distancing himself from an unpopular presidency and rallying the party's conservative base. | Mr McCain has tried to strike a balance between distancing himself from an unpopular presidency and rallying the party's conservative base. |
| Mrs Palin wowed the Republican convention crowd with her speech, helping to re-energise his campaign. | Mrs Palin wowed the Republican convention crowd with her speech, helping to re-energise his campaign. |
| Major test | Major test |
| Mr McCain said that "the electricity has been incredible" at rallies ever since he invited the Alaskan governor to join his ticket. | Mr McCain said that "the electricity has been incredible" at rallies ever since he invited the Alaskan governor to join his ticket. |
| "She has excited people all over the country. I would love to say it was all because of the charisma of John McCain, but it is not," he told CBS on Sunday. | "She has excited people all over the country. I would love to say it was all because of the charisma of John McCain, but it is not," he told CBS on Sunday. |
| Mr McCain said that "the electricity has been incredible" at ralliesMrs Palin will face a major test this week when she gives her first nationally televised interview, following intense media scrutiny over her personal life and credentials for the ticket. | Mr McCain said that "the electricity has been incredible" at ralliesMrs Palin will face a major test this week when she gives her first nationally televised interview, following intense media scrutiny over her personal life and credentials for the ticket. |
| The USA Today-Gallup poll, which was released on Sunday, showed Mr McCain leading Mr Obama by four percentage points, 50 to 46. | The USA Today-Gallup poll, which was released on Sunday, showed Mr McCain leading Mr Obama by four percentage points, 50 to 46. |
| A USA Today poll taken before the Republican convention showed Mr McCain trailing Mr Obama by seven points. | A USA Today poll taken before the Republican convention showed Mr McCain trailing Mr Obama by seven points. |
| The latest poll had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. | The latest poll had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. |
| The results of a Reuters/Zogby poll, also released over the weekend, gave Mr McCain the edge, with 50 percentage points to 46. | The results of a Reuters/Zogby poll, also released over the weekend, gave Mr McCain the edge, with 50 percentage points to 46. |
| The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll showed John McCain with a one-point lead. | The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll showed John McCain with a one-point lead. |
| Mr McCain and Mrs Palin are scheduled to be in Missouri on Monday. | Mr McCain and Mrs Palin are scheduled to be in Missouri on Monday. |
| Mr Obama is campaigning in the crucial swing state of Michigan. His vice-president, Joe Biden, was appearing in Wisconsin and Iowa, while Hillary Clinton is on the campaign trail in Florida. | Mr Obama is campaigning in the crucial swing state of Michigan. His vice-president, Joe Biden, was appearing in Wisconsin and Iowa, while Hillary Clinton is on the campaign trail in Florida. |
| Despite the frenetic pace of the presidential race, the candidates will stop campaigning on Thursday to appear together in New York on the anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks. | |
| They said they would put aside politics to honour the memory of the nearly 3,000 people who died. | They said they would put aside politics to honour the memory of the nearly 3,000 people who died. |