Today’s Election News Roundup

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has endorsed Ill. Sen. Barack Obama, saying that he would be “a transformational figure” in American politics. Powell, a Republican, said of his longtime friend Ariz. Sen. John McCain, “As gifted as (McCain) is, he is essentially going to execute the Republican agenda, the orthodoxy of the Republican agenda, with a new face and a maverick approach to it.”

Obama’s campaign announced that it garnered $150 million in donations this September, more than doubling the record he set in August. The Washington Post explains, “The Democrat did it largely by continuing to tap the enthusiasm of novice donors contacted through Web ads and e-mail appeals. The campaign said 632,000 people made their first donation to Obama in September, and the average contribution was less than $100.”

At a BBQ restaurant in South Carolina following a major campaign rally, Sen. Obama was met by hostile crowds, with one woman shouting, “Socialist, socialist, socialist—get out of here,” and refusing to shake his hand. The Swamp offers a pool report of the events that ensued. 

Sen. McCain leads Sen. Obama in Ohio, according to an NBC/Mason-Dixon poll announced yesterday. National polls put Obama in the lead, however. For example, Rasmussen Reports shows Obama leading 51 to 45 percent and a national Gallup poll shows the Democrat up by 3 points.

Vice presidential candidate Joe Biden is optimistic that the Democratic ticket will win, but tells Democrats not to become overly confident, noting that Al Gore and John Kerry were also leading in the polls before election days in 2000 and 2004. Biden said at a Democratic fundraiser, "We've been here before. We've been poised to win the presidential election.” He continued, "The last two times we underestimated how successful virulent attacks are."

Saturday Night Live scored its highest ratings in 14 years this Saturday when Tina Fey met vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on the show.

The findingDulcinea 2008 Election Web Guide highlights the best online resources relating to the candidates and the election.

Project Vote Smart describes the process of nominating a presidential candidate, with concise descriptions of the convention, caucuses, primaries and the process of awarding delegates.

An overview of the role of delegates and superdelegates is presented by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Daily coverage of the 2008 Election is gathered from media sources across the political spectrum and presented by Real Clear Politics to provide up-to-the-minute coverage. The site publishes daily political transcripts, including addresses on the campaign trail and withdrawal speeches. It also constantly updates and compares polling reports from Rasmussen, Gallup, CNN, Pew Research, and other major media sources. Additionally, the site provides a 2008 Primary Delegate Count, which presents the delegate counts of each candidate.

NPR provides an interactive calendar of past primaries. Headline stories that detail the events of the primaries and campaigns accompany the primary map. In addition, NPR hosts a “National Delegates Total,” with an ongoing count of delegates won by each candidate.

Minnesota Public Radio’s online “President Survey” matches the political convictions of respondents with the candidates’ policies in order to help voters make an informed choice come election day.

The New York Times publishes a constant stream of articles from the Associated Press. These concise AP stories cover new developments on the campaign trail.

As election momentum picks up, the Times of London offers British readers a glossary of campaign jargon that will be of use to many Americans as well.

OpenSecrets.org compares the total campaign donations for each candidate and looks into the war chests to see where the money comes from.