GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO (AP) _ Republican John McCain implored Colorado voters Tuesday to ignore the pundits and polls and help deliver the battleground state. “America is worth fighting for. Nothing is inevitable here,” the GOP nominee told his final rally of a marathon campaign.
Buoyed by internal polling that suggested the race here and in other Western states had pulled closer in recent days, the Arizona senator broke his Election Day tradition of going to the movies and instead flew to a raucous airport rally in Grand Junction. He was headed later to meet with volunteers in New Mexico before returning to Arizona to watch election returns.
In Colorado, the GOP presidential hopeful delivered an abbreviated version of his stump speech but did not mention Democratic rival Barack Obama. The Illinois senator made an Election Day campaign trip of his own to Indiana.
“I feel the momentum. I feel it, you feel it, and we’re going to win the election,” the former Navy pilot told several thousand supporters.
McCain was joined by his wife, Cindy, his 96-year-old mother, Roberta, and fellow Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.
Earlier in the day in Phoenix, McCain showed Election Day optimism by flashing a thumbs-up sign after casting his ballot at a church near his home.
McCain stepped out of a sport-utility vehicle with his wife, Cindy, and son Jimmy as a small crowd cheered “Go, John, go!” and “We love you!” One person carried a sign that read, “Use your brain, vote McCain!” Jimmy McCain is a U.S. Marine who served in Iraq.
The McCains walked into the church, cast their ballots and left within minutes. The Arizona senator signed a poster and gave the thumbs-up sign before leaving without speaking to reporters.
Earlier in the morning, McCain could be seen on the patio of his high-rise condo, pacing with a cell phone in one hand and a large cup of coffee in the other.
“In a way I’m kind of sorry that it’s over because it’s been exciting,” McCain told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in an interview broadcast Tuesday. “I mean, it’s been one of the most incredible experiences that anybody can have.”
The 72-year-old Senate veteran vowed to fight for every vote even as national and state battleground polls found Democrat Barack Obama with a measurable headwind into Election Day.
A blizzard of late polls showed Obama leading in most competitive states, leaving McCain with only the narrowest possible path to victory Tuesday night.
“I think these battleground states have now closed up, almost all of them, and I believe there’s a good scenario where we can win,” McCain told CBS’ “The Early Show” hours before the polls opened. “Look, I know I’m still the underdog, I understand that.”