Romney Still Stumping, Obama to Play Basketball

The costliest election in United States history is also one of the closest, as polls open today and a deeply divided country finally picks its president after a long and divisive campaign.

After spending nearly $1 billion apiece, President Obama and Mitt Romney 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 will travel today to Ohio and Pennsylvania for last-minute campaign stops. Ohio has emerged as a key to a Romney victory.

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.

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 will campaign up to the last minute today, holding rallies in Cleveland, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pa., and doing interviews with radio stations in Ohio and Virginia.

The former Massachusetts governor appeared emotional a packed rally in Columbus, Ohio, Monday night.

"Tomorrow we begin a new tomorrow. Perhaps some of your friends and family have not made up their mind who they are going to vote for, so when you talk to them, ask them to look beyond the speeches, ads and attacks and look at the record. Because… talk is cheap, but a record is real and it is earned. Change can't be measured in speeches, it is measured in results," he said.

Obama also had an emotional ending to his campaign, tearing up at a rally in Iowa Monday night.

"It's a choice between two different visions of America. It's a choice between a return to the top-down economic policies that crashed our economy or a vision that says we've got to build a strong foundation based on a strong and middle class and opportunity for everybody, not just some," the president told a packed arena.

The president, who had voted early last month, will remain in his home state of Illinois today, doing some satellite television interviews and playing a game of basketball -- an Election Day superstition

The fate of the election will rest on the outcomes in a few hard-fought swing states – 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.

Source: http://www.news.theusalinks.com/2012/11/06/romney-still-stumping-obama-to-play-basketball/