国际英语新闻:Obama, Romney Campaign in Key Battleground States

Romney campaigned at a steel company in Ohio where the race is tight.  Polls show President Obama with a slight lead, and electoral analysts say the state with its 18 electoral votes could be the deciding factor in the election.

Romney attacked what he called the smallness of Obama's campaign, saying Americans cannot afford four more years of the president's leadership.

"The president's campaign is slipping because he cannot find an agenda.  He has been looking for it.  There are only 12 days left.  He has not had a chance to defend it or to describe it to the American people in our debates, and so the American people now have to recognize that given the big challenges we have and the big election we have, it is time for a big change," said Romney.

Before ending his marathon cross-country campaign trip, President Obama's last stop before returning to Washington was to his hometown of Chicago.

There, he became the first U.S. president to cast his own early ballot in a presidential contest.  Obama's wife, Michelle, cast her own early ballot last week.

With the U.S. election only two weeks away, polls continue to show the race essentially tied.  Both campaigns are hoping to sway undecided voters, and will be concentrating their efforts in the nine battleground states right up until election day.