A new presidential poll released by the Pew Research Center Monday shows President Barack Obama and GOP candidate Mitt Romney neck and neck with likely voters.

Likely voters are evenly split, with 47 percent of voters backing Obama and the same percentage supporting Romney. The Pew poll was conducted Oct. 24-28 among 1,678 registered voters, including 1,495 likely voters.

The latest presidential poll results indicate a slight drop in support for Romney. An Oct. 4-7 Pew poll had Romney leading by four percentage points, 49 to 45 percent. more >>

With just one week until election day, Hurricane Sandy is already having an impact on political campaigns. If power outages last a week, the effects could still reverberate on election day itself.

Both President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney have suspended campaign activities as the Northeast braces for the storm.

With government shutdowns across the region, it also means that many early voting locations have temporarily shut down as well. Campaigns will have to curtail their door-to-door canvassing efforts. And news coverage that would normally be devoted to talking about the election will be spent talking about the storm. more >>

With Hurricane Sandy nearing landfall in the Northeast, some liberal publications have dug up old comments Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made about federal disaster aid. The debate over whether disaster aid is best administered by the federal government or state and private agencies resurfaces often during national disasters.

During a June 13, 2011, Republican presidential debate, Romney was asked about reducing the national debt. The host of the debate, CNN's John King, then asked if federal disaster aid is also an area where he would give more responsibility to the states.

"Absolutely," Romney answered. "Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that's the right direction. And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that's even better. more >>

As Hurricane Sandy targets the East Coast, nearly 8,000 airline flights have been cancelled. Mass closures of schools and public transit systems have resulted; hundreds of thousands of residents have been told to evacuate their homes. Federal government offices in the Washington area are closed today. The New York Stock Exchange is closing its trading floor as well, its first weather-related closure in 27 years.

What does "Frankenstorm" mean for the presidential election, now just eight days away? Politico suggests five possibilities. One: it could slow Mitt Romney's momentum by lessening his ability to campaign in states affected by the storm. Two: it could give President Obama a natural advantage as he exercises his duties in response to the emergency. Three: it could affect last-minute TV ads, as people without power won't see them. Four: it won't affect early voting much, as most of the states in the storm's path allow such voting only for absentees. Five: it could hamper Democrats' efforts to get out their vote.

As our country braces for one of the most destructive storms in years, it's natural to ask: why would an all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful God allow such a disaster? If God is sovereign, he must either cause or allow all that happens. However, as I often say in dealing with evil and suffering, he then redeems for greater good all he allows. How might he redeem Hurricane Sandy? more >>

Based upon recent polls, the possibility of President Barack Obama winning reelection without winning a plurality of votes appears more likely than usual.

As of Sunday evening, the current Real Clear Politics average of national polls shows Obama's challenger, Republican candidate Mitt Romney, ahead by 0.9 percentage points (47.7 to 46.8). The Real Clear Politics "no toss ups" map, which shows the electoral college vote based upon the averages of recent polls, shows Obama winning with 290 electors to Romney's 248 electors; 270 electors are needed to win the presidency.

Four presidents have won an election without winning a plurality of the popular vote: John Quincy Adams (1824), Rutherford B. Hayes (1876), Benjamin Harrison (1888), and George W. Bush (2000). more >>

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio returned to his home in Miami Saturday afternoon after he was told his 12-year-old daughter was involved in a car accident. Rubio heard the news while he was campaigning with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney elsewhere in the state.

Amanda, the oldest of Rubio's four children, was at Miami Children's Hospital in fair condition, the senator's office said Saturday evening. She had received a head injury, and airlifted to the hospital following a golf-cart accident.

Rubio learned about the accident Saturday afternoon in the middle of a campaign event with Romney in Kissimmee, Fla. more >>