Obama leads in polls into final week of elections

WASHINGTON - The Associated Press

President Barack Obama waves to volunteers during an unscheduled visit to a local campaign field office, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 in Orlando Fla. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

U.S. President Barack Obama continues to have the upper hand in the most contested states, although Romney and Obama are in a close contest for the popular vote.

The U.S. president is not chosen by the nationwide popular vote, but in state-by-state contests that allocate electoral votes. There are 538 electoral votes, including three for Washington, D.C., of which the winning candidate must have 50 percent, plus one, or 270. Obama is ahead in states and Washington, representing 237 electoral votes; Romney has a comfortable lead in states with 191 electoral votes.
Both candidates were forced to overhaul their campaign plans to avoid a massive hurricane. Obama planned to return to Ohio on Oct. 31 with stops in Cincinnati and Akron, followed by a Nov. 1 swing through Springfield, Ohio, Boulder, Colorado, and Las Vegas. Romney’s campaign confirmed that he would not travel to New Hampshire today as planned. Advisers say further travel changes are likely as they monitor the storm’s progress.