"This race is tied," President Barack Obama writes in a new fundraising pitch to supporters Monday.
Polls have tightened since the first presidential debate in Denver, Colo., where Republican nominee Mitt Romney was widely considered the victor after a tepid performance by Obama. A new poll from the liberal leaning Public Policy Polling, for example, puts Romney ahead by a point in Florida -- a state in which he trailed the president by four points last month.
The statement from the president, however, contradicts comments made to the Yolanda Adams Morning Show Friday morning.
"Right now, we are winning in the battleground states, but this is going to be a close election. It always was going to be," Obama said.
The full text:
Listen, this race is tied.
What we do over the next 22 days will determine not just the next four years, but what this country looks like for decades to come.
That's what I'll be fighting for up on that stage tomorrow night -- but I can't do it alone.
This campaign's final and most critical FEC deadline is coming up on Wednesday. It's an important test of our strength at a time when the other side is plotting a big surge in negative ads.
This grassroots organization has never been beat -- but we're at the stage of an election where everyone needs to step up and chip in. So please, don't wait any longer. Donate $5 or more right now:
https://donate.barackobama.com/Last-FEC-Deadline
Thanks for standing with me.
Barack