A new opinion poll in the United States shows the Democratic contender, Al Gore, with a 2% point lead over his Republican rival, George W Bush, in the presidential election. Americans go to the poll later this morning and polls had consistently given Mr Bush a slight lead. Although giving Mr Gore the slight advantage, the result of the Reuters/MCNBC poll remain within too modest a margin of error to make an accurate prediction of the outcome possible.
Earlier, the main contenders in the election embarked on a final push for votes ahead of tomorrow's poll. The gruelling schedule being undertaken by Mr Bush and Mr Gore is being seen as an indication of how close the race is.
Governor Bush appears to have retained his slender lead in the national polls going into the final campaign day following all-day canvassing in Florida yesterday. Mr Gore, who on Saturday acknowledged that he needed a boost when he asked voters in Memphis, Tennessee, to "breathe life into this campaign" is on a non-stop swing through five key states, starting with Pennsylvania.
