BLAIR COUNTY- As the final round of TV political ads hit the airwaves, some polls show the race for president tightening, and Pennsylvania is no different.
In the final days of the 2012 presidential campaign, Pennsylvania has found itself at the center of last minute attention from both parties.
"Everybody is talking about Ohio," said former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich at a recent Blair County GOP event. "But Pennsylvania is big time."
Ehrlich is supporting and promoting GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
With hope of encourage Pennsylvanians to throw their support behind President Obama, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee recently stopped by a campaign event in State College.
"I want to be here to warn Pennsylvanians," Chaffee said. "Let's be sure not to let those bad policies come back, let's support President Obama."
1988 was the last time a Republican presidential candidate won Pennsylvania's electoral votes, but GOP strategist Bay Buchanan says this time it's within Romney's reach.
"Pennsylvania doesn't vote until election day," said Buchanan, pointing out other states where early voting takes place such as Ohio. "We had the opportunity to just sort of sit back and watch Pennsylvania."
Buchanan added that she believed the polls are closing fast, and the GOP grassroots effort in Pennsylvania would ultimately put Romney over the top in the state.
Romney campaign volunteer Stacey Kensinger agrees and says she thinks President Obama's policies have not helped him in Pennsylvania.
"I'm really concerned about our country," she said. "I think there are more democrats that are going to be voting republican this time."
Over at the Obama campaign office in State College, volunteer Zach Hamadyk says the Obama campaign is prepared to defend and will win Pennsylvania again.
"They can try," he said. "But I really think it's about our ground game and not about their last ditch efforts."
Hamadyk added that he believes persistence and reaching out is important to any get-out-the-vote strategy.
"We'll put up yard signs, but for us it's literally that personal connection and how we're working it," he added.
Pennsylvania polls open November 6 at 7:00 am and close at 8:00 pm.
