Nov 3, 2008 12:00 pm US/Mountain
Palin In Swing State Ohio: 'Victory Is Coming'
LAKEWOOD, Ohio (AP) ―
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Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin speaks at the North Carolina Fairgrounds on Nov. 1, 2008, in Raleigh, N.C.
Sara D. Davis/Getty Images
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin told a boisterous crowd in a Democratic suburb of Cleveland Monday that "victory is coming."
The Alaska governor opened a grueling final day of the presidential campaign with an upbeat rally in Lakewood, the biggest Democratic stronghold in Ohio, a swing state whose 20 electoral votes are crucial to Republican John McCain's campaign.
Polls show Ohio is too close to call with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama carrying a slight lead or running neck and neck with McCain.
Although Obama-Biden signs far outnumber those for McCain-Palin in Lakewood, Palin drew a noisy crowd that waved red pompoms during her appearance at the bandstand in Lakewood Park.
"This is the right place to be for us to kick off this final day of campaigning," Palin said. "You can just feel it here in Ohio. Victory is coming. We can do this; we can win Ohio."
"Do you share our commitment and can we count on you tomorrow Ohio?" she asked.
The crowd responded with a "We will win!" chant.
The Lakewood appearance was the first of six rallies that Palin was to lead in five states on the day before Election Day.
In Ohio where an Associated Press-GfK survey last week showed nine in 10 likely voters fear for the economy, Palin concentrated on economic issues. She called Obama's tax plan "phony" and questioned whether he would confine tax increases to the higher-income levels he has promised as a way to finance a middle class tax cut.
"Now is not the time to experiment with socialism," Palin said. "Our opponent's plan is just for bigger government."
Palin emphasized the GOP ticket's small government approach. She promised that McCain would balance the budget in four years and lower taxes for every American and business.
"We'll impose a spending freeze to cover all but the most vital functions of government," Palin said. "Now is the worst possible time to even think of raising taxes on you and our small businesses," she said.
Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said Palin misrepresented Obama's tax plan.
"Gov. Palin is lying about Sen. Obama's plan to give the middle class a tax cut because she knows John McCain hasn't told the American people a single major thing he'd do differently than George Bush when it comes to the economy," Vietor said in an e-mail.
Obama's plan calls for a tax increase on working families earning more than $250,000 a year to finance a tax cut for the 95 percent of workers and families earning less than $200,000 annually.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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