Clinton, Trump make final pitch in battleground states
Clinton, Trump make final pitch in battleground states:- President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama sought to lift Hillary Clinton to victory while Donald Trump warned she was the “face of failure” and predicted he would blow her away in Tuesday’s election.
On a dramatic final day of the ugliest campaign in modern history, the candidates and their surrogates held nearly two dozen rallies, chased one another through swing states and made desperate last pleas to voters.
Clinton and Trump both go into Election Day with paths to the White House. But Clinton has many more options to secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.
Perhaps reflecting optimism, Clinton stressed national unity in her closing appearances Monday, while Trump returned to his claims that the political system and the media were rigged against him.
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The former secretary of state capped her campaign with a remarkable passing-of-the-baton rally with President Obama before a crowd of about 20,000 against the symbolic backdrop of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
“I regret deeply how angry the tone of the campaign became,” Clinton said, prompting one woman in the crowd to shout out, “Not your fault!”
But Clinton went on to slam the “many troubling things” Trump had said about women, Muslims, Latinos and African-Americans. She said Trump’s “most horrifying” comment was his warning that he may not accept the election result.
“Let’s show tomorrow there will be no question about the outcome of this election!” Clinton said.
Obama introduced Clinton in a speech that was both a firm endorsement and a poignant farewell to politics.
“We now have the chance to elect a 45th president who will build on our progress who will finish the job … who is smart, who is steady and who is tested,” Obama said. “She will work, she will deliver. She won’t just tweet.”
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The President said he was counting on Americans not to elect Trump.
“America, I am betting on you one more time,” Obama said, predicting the nation would “reject fear” and choose hope.
Michelle Obama, who has used her popularity to become perhaps Clinton’s most powerful surrogate, called on Democrats to turn out in huge numbers to prevent Trump becoming president.
“This election is on us. It is in our hands,” she said. “If we get out and vote tomorrow, Hillary Clinton will win.”
‘Face of failure’
Trump, meanwhile, presented himself as the face of change for Americans, whom he said had been let down by a corrupt political system.
“Hillary is the face of failure. She’s the face of failure,” Trump said, blasting Clinton’s political record and service as secretary of state.
The Republican nominee claimed — in defiance of polls showing a mid-single digit Clinton lead — that he was tied with his rival in Pennsylvania, a state that forms a crucial part of Clinton’s Democratic firewall.
“They say we’re tied in Pennsylvania. I don’t think so. I think we’re going to blow them out tomorrow. Blow them out,” Trump said at a rally in Scranton, one of the most hotly contested parts of the state.
The latest CNN Poll of Polls gives Clinton a four-point lead over Trump, 46% to 42%. In most of the swing states that will decide, the race is tight. But if Clinton can hang on to most states that have voted Democratic in recent elections and add at most a couple of swing states, she will likely win the election.
But Democrats are worried about Trump’s strength in the Midwest — particularly in Michigan, which has not voted Republican since 1988. Trump has been making a strong push there amid narrowing polls.
Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway predicted that Trump will win Michigan, telling ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the campaign feels “really good” about the latest polling in upper Midwest states.
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But Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said late visits to Michigan by both Clinton and Obama on Monday were more a function of the calendar and the lack of early voting there than a sign of genuine anxiety.
“Our strategy these last few days is to focus on the states where voting overwhelmingly happens on Election Day,” Mook said on CNN’s “New Day.” “Previously, as you’ve seen, we’ve been focused on states like Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, where the majority of the voting happens early.”
He continued: “So, this is really a reflection of the voting calendar. Donald Trump has been kind of running to each and every state it seems. So they have their strategy. But we have ours.”
Source:- http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/07/politics/2016-election-last-day/
