Newsweek reported late yesterday that senior Obama advisers are discussing a possible visit to Arizona by the candidate during his Western swing-state tour this weekend, heightening the excitement of Democrats here and stoking the momentum that has been building in the state in recent days. Obama spokesman David Plouffe announced this morning that the campaign will be buying air time for the first time in Arizona and will run the campaign’s closing ad. Five polls released over the last week declared the presidential race in Arizona a statistical dead heat.

Working to staunch the bleeding, John McCain has targeted his home state with robocalls and announced this morning that he will visit Prescott, Arizona, on Monday.

When CBS asked Obama campaign Senior Adviser Robert Gibbs whether or not Obama might make a personal appearance in Arizona, he downplayed the possibility but would not rule it out.

A new 36 page report ( read online / PDF file / some of the highlights of the report ), from an independent research team that has specialized in studying Sarah Palin’s faith, contains ground breaking information on a religious movement Sarah Palin is tied to and which advocates that its members “plunder” the wealth of the “godless”.

It’s a political frenzy in Florida! Both Democrat and Republicans say they have the edge going into Tuesday and will capture the Sunshine State’s 27 electoral votes. There is little doubt the battle will go down to the wire.

One thing, at least, seems certain. Unless there is a landside victory for one of the Presidential candidates nationally, Florida — once again, as in 2000 — could be the site of major post-election controversy.

There have been dozens of reports of intimidation, supposedly missing ballots, and
attempts to mislead those exercising their right to vote for the first time. And, of course,
there are complaints that a shortage of machines and a long ballot in three languages –
English, Spanish, Creole — has plagued those waiting in early voting lines and struggling to reach a designated polling spot — some enduring as long as a five hour wait.

Despite the criticism, poll problems, the mean-spirited robocalls and literature flooding Florida homes, early signs do show a dramatic surge for the Democrats. The Miami Herald reported Saturday — with only hours left for early voting (enhanced with extended time by an executive order of Gov. Charlie Crist) — that Democrats have increased their share of early and absentee ballots. The same report noted that Republicans are “maintaining an edge with Hispanic voters.” Approximately 3.4 million of Florida’s voters cast early or absentee ballots and, according to reports, 46 percent of them are registered Democrats, compared to 38 percent Republicans. Both parties suggest they have the upper hand with the remaining independent or unaffiliated voters. These figures are a direct opposite of voting trends four years ago.

Despite these figures titling to the Democrats, party officials are concerned about the final push being made by the GOP. At least seven separate brochures attacking Sen. Barack Obama — along with robocalls giving “false information” on Democratic positions — have flooded the mails.

“I have never seen such hateful literature in a campaign,” one elderly voter said.

From Huffington Post

Here’s Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in Las Vegas, Sunday, rallying volunteers who came to Nevada from California to help get out the vote:

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) speaks his mind about Palin and the McCain campaign’s handling of her candidacy. Ensign says that “certainly” Biden is “much more qualified” than Palin, though he does offer the caveat that he also believes McCain is more qualified than Obama. Here’s video:

Senator McCain has pinned much of his hopes to Pennsylvania, a state experiencing a lot of economic pain which he and Governor Palin are promising they will ease. At least one major poll, Mason-Dixon/CBS News, corroborates the McCain campaign’s claim that they are within a 4 point margin of Obama in the state, with 43% for McCain, 47% for Obama, and 9% undecided.

That’s too close.

Go to BarackObama.com and start making calls in PA - or you waive your right to complain for at least 4 years.

What’s more, 18- to 29-year-olds continue to lag behind Americans aged 30 and older on these important turnout indicators.

As a result, 18- to 29-year-olds now constitute 12% of Gallup’s traditional likely voter sample, basically the same as the estimate in the final 2004 pre-election poll (13%). Gallup’s expanded likely voter model, which defines likely voters differently (on the basis of current voting intentions only), estimates a slightly higher proportion of young voters in the electorate (14%). However, even if the share of the youth vote were adjusted upward, doing so has little or no impact on the overall Obama-McCain horse-race numbers using either likely voter model.

It is possible that the 18- to 29-year-old share of the likely voter electorate will grow in the final days of the election. Although interest in the election and voting intentions usually increase as Election Day grows nearer, Gallup did not observe much of an increase from mid- to late October 2004, because interest was already at high levels (as it is this year).

From Gallup.