HispanicBusiness

If there was any more proof required that the presidential campaigns of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney consider the battleground state of Ohio crucial to the election, you needed to look no further than Cleveland airport.

Broadcast images Tuesday showed three official planes from both campaigns parked on the airport tarmac. Romney's plane was joined by that of his running mate, Paul Ryan, while, in the background, was Vice President Joe Biden's official plane, Air Force Two.

All three men were in Ohio to make last-minute pitches in an effort to win the state's 18 Electoral College votes.

The most recent polling in Ohio showed Obama with a 3-point lead over Romney. Most observers attribute the president's slight edge to his bailout of the auto industry shortly after taking office, an action that Romney was against. One in eight jobs in Ohio is connected to the auto industry.

Ohio's job situation has also improved during the Obama administration. Its current unemployment rate stands at 7 per cent, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The national average is 7.8 per cent.