Iowa, according to most polls, is the swing state that has most definitively swung. In 2000 Al Gore won its seven electoral votes by 0.3 percentage points; George Bush won them by 0.7 points in 2004. But Barack Obama currently leads John McCain by about 12 points. The McCain campaign insists the race is closer than that, and Mr McCain visited the state on October nth and twice in September. His efforts are unlikely to be enough.rnMr McCain has the same problems in Iowa as he does in other states. The financial crisis has boosted support for his opponent. His campaign in Iowa, as elsewhere, has also shown signs of chaos. A pastor recently launched a rally at Davenport by saying that Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus were praying for Mr Obama to win. (The campaign hastily rebutted this.) One party volunteer there told The Economist that Mr Obama might be "part of a terrorist plan to take over our country."
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