Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama took their neck-and-neck battle to the U.S. West on Saturday while John McCain projected an air of inevitability about winning the Republican nomination ahead of crucial Super Tuesday voting.
Candidates crisscrossed the country to woo voters in the countdown toward the multi-state primaries and caucuses on Feb. 5 that will go a long way toward establishing clear front-runners in both political parties.
Campaigning in Nashville, Tennessee, McCain told supporters he did not want to appear overconfident but was "guardedly optimistic" about Tuesday's voting.
"I assume I will be the nominee of the party," he said.
McCain's chief rival for the Republican nomination, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, said he was banking on a groundswell of conservative fear at the prospect of the more moderate McCain winning the nomination that he predicted would keep him in the race beyond Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters on a flight to Minneapolis, Romney admitted he was not the front-runner three days before Tuesday's showdown but that the past two days had seen the race crystallize.
"I don't think it's going to be over on Tuesday night," Romney said. I wish it were over in my favor, I hope it's not over against me," he said.
In incomplete results on Saturday from Maine's Republican caucus, Romney led McCain by 53 percent to 22 percent.
Speaking in Birmingham, Alabama, McCain said, "We sense some good momentum and we're going to be working hard between now and Tuesday." Asked if he was concerned some conservatives oppose him, McCain said he had won Florida's primary when only registered Republicans could vote.
"Most of all I can unite the party," he said. "I'm the most electable -- any poll will show you that -- against Senator Obama and Senator Clinton."
Leading in the polls in major states to vote on Tuesday, including California, New York and New Jersey, the Arizona senator was stopping in the capitals of Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia to argue his case.
McCain was sufficiently assured of his advantage over Romney to announce he will campaign on Monday in Massachusetts.
ROMNEY AT FUNERAL
Romney detoured earlier on Saturday from the campaign trail to attend the funeral of Mormon church leader Gordon Hinckley in Salt Lake City. If elected, Romney would be the first Mormon president.
Clinton, a New York senator who would be the first female president, appeared at a rally at the California State University campus in East Los Angeles, where she was joined on stage by actors Sally Field and Ted Danson and former basketball star Magic Johnson.
"We have three days left to reach as many voters as possible," she said.
Clinton talked about how America needed a leader who was inspirational and could bring about change, a theme she often strikes to imply Obama may be inspirational but lacks experience and substance.
Obama, who would be the first black president, campaigned in Boise, Idaho, a state that traditionally votes Republican and rarely sees a Democratic candidate.
On a flight from Idaho to Minnesota, Obama told reporters Clinton had an advantage going into Tuesday's vote because she was better known. Still, "I don't think that there is any doubt that we've made some progress," he said.
"When folks know me and my record, we do well. If they don't, she's got the advantages."
NECK AND NECK
Clinton and Obama, an Illinois senator, are locked in a neck-and-neck battle to represent the Democratic Party in the November 2008 election to succeed President George W. Bush. The pair split the first four significant nominating contests, with Obama winning Iowa and South Carolina and Clinton winning New Hampshire and Nevada.
Democrats distribute delegates among candidates in proportion to their vote statewide and in individual congressional districts. Those who lose a state can still come away with a big chunk of delegates to the party's nominating convention.
As a result, neither Clinton nor Obama is likely to land a knockout punch but one could emerge with a substantial lead in delegates after Super Tuesday when 24 states hold primaries or caucuses.
In the Republican contest, 13 Super Tuesday states award all their delegates to the winner. That gives McCain an opportunity to extend his lead over Romney and win over conservatives who remain skeptical of his stance on taxes and the environment.
Candidates crisscrossed the country to woo voters in the countdown toward the multi-state primaries and caucuses on Feb. 5 that will go a long way toward establishing clear front-runners in both political parties.
Campaigning in Nashville, Tennessee, McCain told supporters he did not want to appear overconfident but was "guardedly optimistic" about Tuesday's voting.
"I assume I will be the nominee of the party," he said.
McCain's chief rival for the Republican nomination, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, said he was banking on a groundswell of conservative fear at the prospect of the more moderate McCain winning the nomination that he predicted would keep him in the race beyond Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters on a flight to Minneapolis, Romney admitted he was not the front-runner three days before Tuesday's showdown but that the past two days had seen the race crystallize.
"I don't think it's going to be over on Tuesday night," Romney said. I wish it were over in my favor, I hope it's not over against me," he said.
In incomplete results on Saturday from Maine's Republican caucus, Romney led McCain by 53 percent to 22 percent.
Speaking in Birmingham, Alabama, McCain said, "We sense some good momentum and we're going to be working hard between now and Tuesday." Asked if he was concerned some conservatives oppose him, McCain said he had won Florida's primary when only registered Republicans could vote.
"Most of all I can unite the party," he said. "I'm the most electable -- any poll will show you that -- against Senator Obama and Senator Clinton."
Leading in the polls in major states to vote on Tuesday, including California, New York and New Jersey, the Arizona senator was stopping in the capitals of Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia to argue his case.
McCain was sufficiently assured of his advantage over Romney to announce he will campaign on Monday in Massachusetts.
ROMNEY AT FUNERAL
Romney detoured earlier on Saturday from the campaign trail to attend the funeral of Mormon church leader Gordon Hinckley in Salt Lake City. If elected, Romney would be the first Mormon president.
Clinton, a New York senator who would be the first female president, appeared at a rally at the California State University campus in East Los Angeles, where she was joined on stage by actors Sally Field and Ted Danson and former basketball star Magic Johnson.
"We have three days left to reach as many voters as possible," she said.
Clinton talked about how America needed a leader who was inspirational and could bring about change, a theme she often strikes to imply Obama may be inspirational but lacks experience and substance.
Obama, who would be the first black president, campaigned in Boise, Idaho, a state that traditionally votes Republican and rarely sees a Democratic candidate.
On a flight from Idaho to Minnesota, Obama told reporters Clinton had an advantage going into Tuesday's vote because she was better known. Still, "I don't think that there is any doubt that we've made some progress," he said.
"When folks know me and my record, we do well. If they don't, she's got the advantages."
NECK AND NECK
Clinton and Obama, an Illinois senator, are locked in a neck-and-neck battle to represent the Democratic Party in the November 2008 election to succeed President George W. Bush. The pair split the first four significant nominating contests, with Obama winning Iowa and South Carolina and Clinton winning New Hampshire and Nevada.
Democrats distribute delegates among candidates in proportion to their vote statewide and in individual congressional districts. Those who lose a state can still come away with a big chunk of delegates to the party's nominating convention.
As a result, neither Clinton nor Obama is likely to land a knockout punch but one could emerge with a substantial lead in delegates after Super Tuesday when 24 states hold primaries or caucuses.
In the Republican contest, 13 Super Tuesday states award all their delegates to the winner. That gives McCain an opportunity to extend his lead over Romney and win over conservatives who remain skeptical of his stance on taxes and the environment.
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