US Politics / Ari Last / 03 November 2008 /

With less than a day to go until the polling booths open, the race for the White House has reached boiling point. Betting.Betfair takes a look at the stories making the headlines this Monday morning...

Candidates embark on a dizzying last day tour

Throughout this election campaign John McCain has been labelled as too old and too frail by Democratic sympathisers, yet the schedule for his final day of campaigning certainly defies that sentiment. The 72 year old Republican and absolute underdog will embark on a three and a half thousand mile trip, visiting states he desperately needs to win if he is to snatch an election day victory from the jaws of defeat. McCain will visit a total of seven key states on Monday, travelling from Florida in the east to his home state of Arizona in the west.

His rival Barack Obama is also far from resting on his laurels as he takse a trip to Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, three states who voted Republican last time out.

McCain does well on Saturday Night Live

It looks like his bid to be President is set to fail, so perhaps a crack at the comedy circuit will be John McCain's next port of call. The ailing Republican candidate put in a brave performance on the hit U.S satire programme Saturday Night Live this weekend, standing alongside the show's Sarah Palin impersonator Tina Fey.

His line stating "he was indeed a true Maverick - a Republican with no money" went down particularly well with the viewing public who on the whole enjoyed the chance to witness McCain display a sense of humour not often seen from his rival Barack Obama. There is most certainly a feeling within the states that Obama, while highly intelligent and sincere is slightly lacking in comedy, and has even been accused by some as being a little too "high brow".

Palin the butt of the joke once more

If you thought that former Arsenal misfit Jose Antonio Reyes and Sarah Palin had nothing in common you'd be wrong. No, the Spanish winger's favourite dish isn't Moose Stew, rather he and the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate now share the unfortunate experience of falling for an embarrassing prank call.

Palin was the victim of a daring Canadian Radio DJ this weekend, who called her up pretending to be French President Nicholas Sarkozy, however unlike Reyes, she came away from the call with her dignity intact, with some commentators impressed with her relaxed attitude and candid response to a man she thought was one of the world's most influential figures.

Reyes on the other hand slated his then Arsenal team mates, spoke of his hatred for London and pleaded for Real Madrid to come and rescue him.

Obama's Aunt living illegally in the U.S

It's the type of story that could in another election race have proved rather damaging. Yet such is the popularity of Barack Obama and the strength of his predicted lead, that the news that the candidate has an aunt living illegally in the United States will have little impact on the polls or betting markets. In fact since the news of Zeituni Onyango's unlawful residence in the US emerged over the weekend, Betfair customers have made the Illinois Senator even shorter to back, with Obama's odds of winning Tuesday's election now at [1.09].

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