Tracking Poll Shows Gore Even in Ohio

Ohio, a state tilting steadily Republican for a decade — and where Al Gore has never been within six points of George W. Bush for a year — is now too close to call, campaign sources told TIME.com today. Internal GOP polls show that Gore is now behind by only a point in the Buckeye State, and last night's tracking actually had Gore several points ahead. GOP sources expect that by this weekend, Gore will actually be ahead in Ohio, a remarkable turnaround in a state that (unlike Michigan and Illinois) has become more and more Republican during the Clinton years. Ohio has 21 electoral college votes and has been regarded by the Bush campaign as one of the more secure of the Midwest battleground states.