Key states give Kerry the edge in cliffhanger

SENATOR John Kerry has erased US President George W Bush’s modest lead and the two candidates head into election day tied at 49%-49%, a nationwide USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll shows, as an extraordinarily bitter and expensive campaign prepared to end.

Across the dozen battleground states expected to determine the winner, Mr Kerry holds a 5% edge including small leads among likely voters in the critical states of Ohio and Florida. He trails by a similar margin in the third big battleground, Pennsylvania.

But USA Today polls nationwide and in six competitive states show a contest that either candidate could win.