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Who has the momentum in the race for the White House, President Barack Obama or GOP challenger Mitt Romney?
Each campaign says they do, and are seeking to impress upon reporters that point.
"A week from today, we will know hopefully the outcome of the election and we believe that Mitt Romney will be the next president of the United States," Russ Schriefer, a senior adviser to Romney's campaign, said Wednesday afternoon in a conference call with reporters.
Obama campaign senior adviser David Axelrod cited poll and early voting numbers in a separate call a few hours earlier, saying, "We feel very, very good about the numbers that we're mounting up in those states."
Their efforts come with only six days remaining in the presidential contest and after several days of campaigning were scrapped as Superstorm Sandy battered several eastern states. On Monday, Obama's campaign held a call with the same theme, and earlier on Friday, Romney senior adviser Kevin Madden told reporters traveling with the candidate that Democrats were feeling under pressure.
"I think in many of these states where the Democrats considered those to be locked down, safe states that they weren't going to have to defend, they've now gone up with -- they're now pouring resources into those states," he said. "They have to put up ads on the air, and I think that shows that they're playing defense, whereas when we've gone in with resources to many states, it's because we're playing offense, that we have an expanded map now to get to the, our electoral of 270."
Madden's briefing took place on a flight from Miami to Tampa, Florida, and was the first time in several days the campaign has held an on-the-record briefing for reporters.
The Romney campaign described their newly-developing effort in Pennsylvania -- where they have announced an ad buy on Monday and Tuesday of next week -- which Democrats have said is a bluff to show confidence.
"As you looked at the numbers in Pennsylvania starting to close it became a very interesting place for us to go in," Romney's political director, Rich Beeson, said. "And when you look at the issues in Pennsylvania, when you look at the absentee ballot numbers that are playing out there -- and we are significantly over performing in those -- Pennsylvania is a place that we decided to wade into as a path to 300 electoral votes."
Only 270 electoral votes are required to win the presidency, and the CNN Electoral Map predicts Romney holds 206 and Obama 237 with 95 among eight toss up states.
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Polls show the presidential race tightening Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania -- and Republicans signaling they think those three Democratic states could be in play. But David Axelrod, a top adviser to President Barack Obama told MSNBC he would go on the network and "shave off my mustache of 40 years if we lose any of those three states."
On Monday's Obama call, campaign manager Jim Messina said of Pennsylvania, "We're not going to take anything for granted."
Romney pollster Neil Newhouse said on his candidate's conference call that the race comes down to winning among independent voters.
"We lead among independents," he said. "If you take a step back from this you'll see exactly what this is,which is a very tight race that is very far from being decided right now."
Obama Sets Campaign Schedule
While President Barack Obama returns to the campaign trail on Thursday, he'll continue to push full speed ahead until Election Day.
His campaign announced Wednesday he'll pass through seven battleground states in the weekend blitz before voters head to the polls on November 6.
The president kicks off his multi-state swing Saturday, traveling to Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and Virginia. The following day, he'll visit New Hampshire, Florida, Colorado and, again, Ohio.
Before he sets off on the weekend tour, Obama will give remarks at three events in Ohio on Friday and travel to Wisconsin, Nevada and Colorado on Thursday.
As CNN reported earlier, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will also be darting across the country this weekend. Starting Friday, the candidate, his running mate, their wives, and nearly 100 surrogates will fan out across eleven battleground states in a four-day swing.
The states include Colorado, Ohio, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Romney and Ryan Target 11 Swing States
Mitt Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, will kick off a four-day tour starting Friday, where they'll be joined by their wives and 100 surrogates in the final days of the White House race, his campaign announced Wednesday.
The tour starts off with a rally in West Chester, Ohio. Featured guests that day include former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
In the four days before Election Day, the surrogates will fan out across eleven battleground states: Colorado, Ohio, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
A campaign source confirmed that Romney will be at the Verizon Center in Manchester, New Hampshire on Monday night, and Kid Rock will perform, as well.
On Wednesday, Romney and Ryan resume the campaign trail after canceling some events due to conditions related to Superstorm Sandy. Romney will travel to Florida for three campaign events, where he'll appear with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Senate candidate Connie Mack. Ryan, meanwhile, will make stops in Wisconsin.
