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| US rivals take battle to Florida | US rivals take battle to Florida |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| US presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama are both heading to the key state of Florida to campaign. | US presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama are both heading to the key state of Florida to campaign. |
| Mr McCain is expected to make a national security statement after meeting former top military officers. | Mr McCain is expected to make a national security statement after meeting former top military officers. |
| Mr Obama will hold his first rally with former President Bill Clinton and blitz the airwaves with a half-hour, prime-time advert on US networks. | Mr Obama will hold his first rally with former President Bill Clinton and blitz the airwaves with a half-hour, prime-time advert on US networks. |
| Six days from the 4 November election, Senator Obama leads in national and most swing-state opinion polls. | Six days from the 4 November election, Senator Obama leads in national and most swing-state opinion polls. |
| Mr McCain's briefing with former senior military officers will come amid a day of campaigning in Florida, which voted Republican in the past two elections but where polls now give Mr Obama the edge. | Mr McCain's briefing with former senior military officers will come amid a day of campaigning in Florida, which voted Republican in the past two elections but where polls now give Mr Obama the edge. |
| The Arizona senator will outline his views on security threats to the nation and argue that his background as a former US Navy pilot means he is better prepared than Senator Obama to be commander-in-chief. | The Arizona senator will outline his views on security threats to the nation and argue that his background as a former US Navy pilot means he is better prepared than Senator Obama to be commander-in-chief. |
| Mr McCain is also expected to focus on the economy, accusing Mr Obama of planning to raise taxes on middle class Americans. | Mr McCain is also expected to focus on the economy, accusing Mr Obama of planning to raise taxes on middle class Americans. |
| "Raising taxes makes a bad economy worse," he said on Tuesday. | "Raising taxes makes a bad economy worse," he said on Tuesday. |
| 'Unprecedented scope' | 'Unprecedented scope' |
| Mr Obama will start the day in North Carolina, with an event in Raleigh, before heading to Sunrise, Florida, to campaign with running mate Joe Biden. | Mr Obama will start the day in North Carolina, with an event in Raleigh, before heading to Sunrise, Florida, to campaign with running mate Joe Biden. |
| Later the Illinois senator will be joined by Mr Clinton for an evening rally in Kissimmee, near Orlando, timed to coincide with the late evening news shows. | Later the Illinois senator will be joined by Mr Clinton for an evening rally in Kissimmee, near Orlando, timed to coincide with the late evening news shows. |
| A campaign adviser said the "infomercial" being shown on major networks would cut live to Mr Obama at the Florida rally. | A campaign adviser said the "infomercial" being shown on major networks would cut live to Mr Obama at the Florida rally. |
| The half-hour spot will be shown on CBS, Fox and NBC, at a cost of about $1m (£630,000) per network, as well as on Spanish language channel Univision, BET, MSNBC and TV One. | The half-hour spot will be shown on CBS, Fox and NBC, at a cost of about $1m (£630,000) per network, as well as on Spanish language channel Univision, BET, MSNBC and TV One. |
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| The latest Associated Press-GfK poll has Mr Obama and Mr McCain virtually tied in Florida and North Carolina. It has Mr Obama leading Mr McCain in Colorado, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. | |
| The latest Gallup poll has Mr Obama leading Mr McCain nationally by 50% to 43%. | |
| The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says that while it is not unheard of for American politicians to buy large chunks of television time - millionaire Ross Perot did it in 1992 - Mr Obama's move is unprecedented in its scope. | The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says that while it is not unheard of for American politicians to buy large chunks of television time - millionaire Ross Perot did it in 1992 - Mr Obama's move is unprecedented in its scope. |
| Only one of the major TV networks, ABC, is not running the film - which has been weeks in the making - and Fox News has arranged for the starting time of the fifth game of the baseball World Series to be delayed to accommodate it. | Only one of the major TV networks, ABC, is not running the film - which has been weeks in the making - and Fox News has arranged for the starting time of the fifth game of the baseball World Series to be delayed to accommodate it. |
| John McCain cannot afford to put on such a show himself, a fact that he is using to his advantage, our correspondent adds, telling supporters: "When I am president, no-one will delay the start of the World Series with an infomercial." | John McCain cannot afford to put on such a show himself, a fact that he is using to his advantage, our correspondent adds, telling supporters: "When I am president, no-one will delay the start of the World Series with an infomercial." |
| Mr Obama will give an interview to ABC news presenter Charlie Gibson while in North Carolina and tape an appearance for Jon Stewart's Daily Show in Florida. | Mr Obama will give an interview to ABC news presenter Charlie Gibson while in North Carolina and tape an appearance for Jon Stewart's Daily Show in Florida. |
| An estimated 2 million people in Florida have already voted early, leading to long queues at some polling places. | An estimated 2 million people in Florida have already voted early, leading to long queues at some polling places. |
| Republican Florida Governor Charlie Crist has extended polling station opening hours to try to ease the situation. | Republican Florida Governor Charlie Crist has extended polling station opening hours to try to ease the situation. |
| 'Come together' | 'Come together' |
| On Tuesday, both candidates held rallies in the swing state of Pennsylvania. | On Tuesday, both candidates held rallies in the swing state of Pennsylvania. |
| In the town of Hershey, Mr McCain, 72, and his running mate Sarah Palin said they would surprise pundits by winning the state. | In the town of Hershey, Mr McCain, 72, and his running mate Sarah Palin said they would surprise pundits by winning the state. |
| Mr Obama, 47, told supporters in Chester that it was "time to come together" as Americans. | Mr Obama, 47, told supporters in Chester that it was "time to come together" as Americans. |
| The latest opinion polls suggest Mr Obama is still ahead but by a slightly smaller margin than last week. | The latest opinion polls suggest Mr Obama is still ahead but by a slightly smaller margin than last week. |
| The Arizona senator then went to North Carolina, a state which has not voted Democrat since 1976, but where Mr McCain and Mr Obama are now neck-and-neck in the polls. | The Arizona senator then went to North Carolina, a state which has not voted Democrat since 1976, but where Mr McCain and Mr Obama are now neck-and-neck in the polls. |
| Mr Obama went on to campaign in Virginia, which has not voted Democrat since 1964, but where the race is also tight. | Mr Obama went on to campaign in Virginia, which has not voted Democrat since 1964, but where the race is also tight. |