THE BATTLE for the key states that will decide next week's race for the White House has intensified, following campaigning in Pennsylvania yesterday by Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his Democrat opponent, Barack Obama.
So far, the Republican is running behind in polls in the state, which has 21 electoral college votes, by up to 10 points, and the figures have stayed near constant for a week, according to a CNN poll of polls released yesterday.
Speaking in Hershey, Mr McCain, accompanied by his running mate, Alaskan governor Sarah Palin, said: "I'm not afraid of the fight. I'm ready for it. Nothing is inevitable - we never give up."
Meanwhile, Mr Obama told supporters near Philadelphia: "I just want all of you to know that if we see this kind of dedication on election day, there is no way that we're not going to bring change to America."
Both men concentrated on the economic difficulties afflicting the US, with the Republican once again accusing Mr Obama of wanting to increase taxes and "redistribute the wealth".
The Democrat highlighted jobless numbers, telling supporters that 750,000 jobs have been lost in the US already this year and that the toll would grow unless economic policies are changed.
He will travel to another key state, Florida, today where he will be joined for the first time by former president Bill Clinton.
The Floridian race - a must-win for McCain - is described as a dead heat, with Mr Obama in the lead by one point, although polling trends say the contest is tightening. Last week, the same polls put him three points ahead.
Meanwhile, Republican supporters have targeted Mr Obama's past ties with his former pastor, Rev Jeremiah Wright, in a TV advertisement campaign in Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio.
Mr McCain's running mate, Mrs Palin, had wanted to target the ties between the two men from the beginning, but Mr McCain refused - one of the issues that has led to tensions between them.
The adverts, paid for by a Republican political-action committee, feature a clip of Rev Wright declaring "God damn America".
The advert's narrator then says: "For 20 years Barack Obama followed a preacher of hate and said nothing as Wright raged against our country. He built his power base in Wright's church.
"Wright was his mentor, adviser and close friend. For 20 years Obama never complained - until he ran for president. Barack Obama. Too radical. Too risky."