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Analysis: Obama advantage as Election Day dawns
Two years in the making and momentous history in its wake, the cacophonous 2008 presidential election ends Tuesday in the hands of American voters.
(Read more and download this article)
Christopher Gannon, The Des Moines Register
Barack Obama has been riding strong waves of history and change for most of the 21 months since he announced his long-shot candidacy last year.
More top stories
For once, the electoral suspense could come early
Monday, Nov 3rd, 2008
The Electoral College’s hot spots in 2008 have shifted eastward into some unexpected states with early poll closings.
Voters excited despite gloom
Sunday, Nov 2nd, 2008
Americans are more pessimistic than they have been in decades, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, and they are divided over whether a new president will be able to turn things around in the next four years.
Analysis: Election ‘08 ends in rush of pop culture, circumstance
Sunday, Nov 2nd, 2008
The 2008 presidential campaign is ending in pop culture and circumstance, and mostly on traditionally Republican turf. Includes video.
More coverage
Many states grapple with voting status of felons
Sunday, Nov 2nd, 2008
Battles over voters’ access to the polls are extending beyond the leafy neighborhoods in coveted battleground states to the concrete and steel of the vast U.S. criminal justice system.
Missouri has gift for picking presidents
Sunday, Nov 2nd, 2008
It’s been 52 years since Missouri, the nation’s most consistent bellwether state, failed to correctly pick the winner of a presidential contest. The most recent polls show the state’s a tossup.
Changes in suburbia make Colorado a new bellwether
Sunday, Nov 2nd, 2008
The influx and shifting allegiances of college-educated voters in suburbs have helped turn Colorado from a reliably Republican state to one that some political analysts consider the nation’s new bellwether.
Both campaigns getting out the vote in bellwether Ind. county
Saturday, Nov 1st, 2008
For decades, Vigo County most closely has matched the national vote for president of any county in the country. Only six counties in the nation have voted for the winning presidential candidate in every election since 1960.
Analysis: McCain putting more distance between himself, Bush
Saturday, Nov 1st, 2008
President Bush has raised millions of dollars for allies, and hard-core faithful admire his perseverance. But his low job approval has given Republicans including John McCain little reason to try to defend his eight years in office.
Four battlegrounds could pave way to victory
Saturday, Nov 1st, 2008
While Florida and Ohio offered a dramatic coda to the past two elections, Pennsylvania and Virginia could end the competitive stage of the race quickly this year.
2008 becomes a tale of two campaigns
Friday, Oct 31st, 2008
John McCain and Barack Obama lumber through the final weekend of their race for the White House amid such different circumstances from when they began that one could say they essentially have run two campaigns.
Top moments of ‘08 presidential campaign
Friday, Oct 31st, 2008
The long campaign has had six turning points that have gotten us where we are today.
Obama: Iowa voters ‘vindicated’ his faith in American people
Friday, Oct 31st, 2008
Barack Obama offered a thank-you to Iowa, the state that gave him his first victory of the presidential campaign.
Obama’s rise reflects a dream realized
Friday, Oct 31st, 2008
For African Americans who lived through segregation and the country’s hottest stretch of racial violence since slavery, the rise of Barack Obama as a viable candidate for president is more than amazing. It represents the realization of a future they never thought they would live to see. Includes video.
Ad Watch: GOP ad questions Obama’s experience for president
Friday, Oct 31st, 2008
Barack Obama’s lack of experience makes him unqualified to be president, the Republican National Committee argues in a new television ad. Includes video.
Buy a piece of John McCain history: Only $7 million
Friday, Oct 31st, 2008
The former home of GOP presidential nominee John McCain and his wife, Cindy, has been put back on the market at the drastically reduced price of $7 million. But the price is good only until Election Day. Includes video.
Making their case: Candidates say they’re ready for trials of office
Thursday, Oct 30th, 2008
Presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama sat down with USA TODAY reporters in separate interviews Thursday to make their case for success.
Abortion debate central for some voters
Thursday, Oct 30th, 2008
John McCain’s and Barack Obama’s dueling statements on abortion rights have ratcheted up debate over the future of Roe v. Wade at a time when the Supreme Court could be at a crossroads on the 1973 decision that made abortion legal nationwide.
Legal volunteers hope to ensure a fair election
Thursday, Oct 30th, 2008
In Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and other key states, a record number of lawyers representing both presidential campaigns, both major political parties and voting-rights groups are ready to step in.
Key to taking Indiana rests in capturing southern part
Thursday, Oct 30th, 2008
Middle-class undecided voters like many in southern Indiana are essential to the hopes of both Barack Obama and John McCain in winning Indiana’s 11 electoral votes — and, potentially, the White House.
Montana sharply split over candidates’ energy policies
Thursday, Oct 30th, 2008
Wind farm development has many Montanans turning green. Now the question is how many of them will turn blue when they vote for president Tuesday.
Column: On Cuba policy, don’t look to Obama or McCain for needed change
Thursday, Oct 30th, 2008
The two presidential candidates insist some form of embargo should remain until Cuba gives its people more freedom. What makes that laughable is that neither man has called for similar actions against other communist countries.
Ad Watch: Obama ad criticizes McCain on economy, Palin
Thursday, Oct 30th, 2008
Barack Obama uses only images with no narration in a new television ad criticizing John McCain for not knowing enough about the economy and for his choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate. Includes video.
Election Day monitors watch for problems
Thursday, Oct 30th, 2008
Across the country, tens of thousands of volunteers like Peetee Talley will be stationed at their local polling sites Tuesday, watching for problems and helping voters better understand their rights.
