Big push to the finish

From Florida to Ohio to New Hampshire, partisans on both sides expressed unease as they scoured the political landscape for evidence of momentum in the race, still tight despite $600 million in advertisements and the largest grass-roots effort to mobilize voters in recent memory. Publicly, both candidates claimed the advantage in a flurry of appearances. Bush made appeals to Cuban-American voters in Spanish, Kerry went to church -- twice -- and Vice President Dick Cheney made a long-haul dash to Hawaii to pursue four Electoral College votes in the traditionally Democratic state.

''All of the world is waiting for this country to find the path," Kerry told a huge crowd in Manchester, N.H.

Bush, campaigning in front of equally massive audiences in Florida, declared himself ''ready for the work ahead."

A USA Today/ CNN/ Gallup Poll of likely voters released last night indicated that Bush was leading Kerry nationally, 49 percent to 47 percent. In Pennsylvania, Bush was ahead, 50 percent to 46 percent, while Kerry was leading in Ohio by the same margin. Kerry was also ahead in Florida, 49 percent to 46 percent. In Iowa, Bush was leading Kerry, 48 percent to 46 percent, and was ahead in Wisconsin as well, by a wider margin of 52 percent to 44 percent. But Kerry led by that margin in Minnesota.

Battered by political news and advertisements in a race that has churned for nearly a year, voters said they were ready for it to end but expressed trepidation because of the many inconclusive polls.

One Democratic voter, waiting in line to cast an early ballot in Florida, pronounced himself ''terrified" at the prospect of Bush winning the state -- and the nation -- a second time. ''Four more years of Bush is going to be really bad for this country," Arnold Cohen of North Miami Beach said.

A Republican standing nearby expressed similar jitters, but for Bush's performance. ''I don't believe the polls," said Pinchas Schechter, waving a Bush sign.

On Halloween, the Kerry campaign turned superstitious, heralding the defeat of the Washington Redskins at home -- a harbinger of victory for the challenger in the last 17 presidential contests. And at the Kerry rally in Manchester, supporters cheered by far the loudest to cries of ''two more days" a signal of their anticipation of voting day.

''That's right -- 48 more hours, and we get rid of this guy," said retired General Tony McPeak, who was Air Force chief of staff under President George H.W. Bush and is now a major Kerry backer.

Kerry sought to draw voters to the polls tomorrow by saying the nation's hopes are ''on the line." He also tried to tap into the euphoria of the World Series victory of the Boston Red Sox by appearing on stage with the team's general manager, Theo Epstein, and two of the owners, John Henry and Tom Werner.

''I'm finally now starting to really believe it -- the Red Sox won the World Series. But it's been four long years, and I still can't believe George Bush is president," Epstein said.

Kerry, whose final push is concentrated in five states -- Ohio, New Hampshire, Florida, Wisconsin, and Michigan -- spent yesterday trying to energize voters in hopes that tomorrow's outcome will be less narrow than polls suggest. Over four hours yesterday morning in Dayton, he attended Catholic Mass, played some football with aides, spoke at a Baptist church, and dropped by the Golden Nugget Pancake House for a short stack and sausage patties.

He also showed more of his personal side than usual at the predominantly black Shiloh Baptist Church, blending politics with stories from his Vietnam War service and Scriptures to convey emotion behind his message of ''fighting for the middle class."

Kerry and Bush spent most of the day in two of the biggest prizes -- Ohio and Florida -- competing for 47 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win. Bush, after attending church in Miami, campaigned across the state governed by his brother Jeb before finishing the day in Cincinnati. With a new videotape featuring Osama bin Laden surfacing last week, Bush kept his focus yesterday on national security and the need for steady leadership, accusing Kerry of having ''entered the flip-flop hall of fame" during the campaign.

With his brother at his side, Bush told an energetic crowd of 8,500 supporters in Miami that he is confident of his chances in the Sunshine State. ''My opponent looks at an issue and tries to take every side," Bush said.

He also vowed a tough Cuba policy aimed at freeing the island's people from the grip of President Fidel Castro. 'We will keep the pressure on until the Cuban people receive the same freedoms in Havana as they do here in America," Bush said, prompting chants of ''Viva Bush."

Eager to show their confidence publicly, Bush advisers spoke Spanish. ''Cuba libre!" senior adviser Karl Rove shouted from the airport tarmac. White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters, ''Vamos a ganar" -- we're going to win.

Nicolle Devenish, communications director for the Bush campaign, cited public and internal polls indicating that support for Bush was up in the state. ''In our own numbers, we're up well outside the margin of error in Florida," she said. ''The race is certainly breaking for the president in key states."

Public polls in Florida continued to indicate Kerry and Bush were locked in a dead heat for the Sunshine State's 27 electoral votes -- the largest battleground prize, which four years ago delivered the White House to Bush by a 537-vote margin after an epic recount.

Outside Miami Beach City Hall, the line of early voters grew to three hours long, nearly double what it had been two days before. Al Deleon, a registered Independent voter from Miami Beach who said he is supporting Kerry, added that he mostly just hopes that the election produces a clear winner, unlike in 2000: ''I'm more worried that if it is particularly close in too many states, then there's going to be madness on Nov. 3. Someone has to win clearly because if it is like it was four years ago, it will be horrible for the country."

In Columbus, Ohio, Saturday morning, about two dozen Kerry volunteers huddled fanning out to canvas key neighborhoods, their emotions running high. ''There's so much more energy this time, and you can tell by the number of people here," said Susan Sarwark, 55, who teaches at Ohio State University. She said she had been distributing literature and ''talking to people, and trying to be calm and rational."

''You really feel like you're in a battleground," Sue Shellenbarger said.

Globe staff writers Rick Klein, Patrick Healy, Charlie Savage, and Yvonne Abraham contributed to this report.