Candidates make pitch to crucial swing-state voters

John McCain in Defiance, Ohio: "Last night, Senator Obama said that if he lost he would return to the Senate and try again in four years for the second act. That sounds like a great idea to me. Let's help him make it happen!"

Barack Obama in Sarasota, Fla.: "You've got to ask yourself, after nine straight months of job losses and the largest drop in home values on record, with wages lower than they've been in a decade, why would we keep on driving down this dead-end street?"

McCain: No new national ad.

Obama: "Rearview mirror," 30 seconds.

Script: "Wonder where John McCain would take the economy? Look behind you," the announcer says as a driver sees images of President Bush appear in his rearview and side mirrors.

"John McCain wants to continue George Bush's economic policies," the announcer continues as road signs show critiques of McCain's proposals. "As president he'd provide no tax breaks to 101 million Americans but keep tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas. He wants $4 billion in new tax breaks for big oil and would tax your healthcare benefits for the first time ever."

"Look behind you," the announcer concludes as an image of Bush and McCain together appear in the driver's rearview mirror. "We can't afford more of the same."

McCain: Rally in Hanoverton, Ohio; event in Steubenville, Ohio; rally with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California in Columbus, Ohio.

Obama: Rallies in Des Moines and Highland, Ind. Interviews on "NBC Nightly News" and CNN's "Situation Room."

GLOBE STAFF