Polls narrow, Trump on message, presidential firepower

Polls in the last week of the presidential campaign showed the race tightening between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Prone to dangerous tangents, the Republican managed to stay on message. And Democratic heavyweights led by President Barack Obama launched a final frenzy of campaigning for Clinton.

A brutal, divisive and at times tawdry election campaign that began nearly two years ago ends on Tuesday night, with 82 percent of Americans saying they are sick of it.

The following are snippets from the last week of campaigning before Election Day.

- Polls tighten -

Clinton was the clear favorite two weeks ago but her lead has narrowed in battleground states and at the national level.

She has gone from a seven-point cushion at the national level on October 18 to just 2.4 points, according to a polling average compiled by RealClearPolitics: 45.3% for her, compared to 42.7% for Trump as of Friday.

The candidates are neck and neck in several key battleground states including Florida and North Carolina. Trump has made up some ground in others, according to the polling average.

Clinton and Trump, both highly unpopular, appealed to Americans to get out and vote. Democrats in particular are worried about the prospect of lower turnout among blacks, who might be less inclined to vote than in 2008 and 2012 when Obama was running.

- Trump talks to himself -

Trump's rambling, stream of consciousness outbursts and insults have been a fixture of the campaign, but this week he seemed to have learned the virtues of self-control.

"Nice and cool. Right? Stay on point, Donald, stay on point. No sidetracks, Donald -- nice and easy," Trump said Wednesday, tongue in cheek, at a rally.

He hit Clinton hard on news from the FBI that it is looking at emails that might be pertinent to an earlier probe of her use of a private server while holding the job of secretary of state.

That controversy, a bad dream that will not go away for Clinton, does not appear to have hurt her significantly in the polls.

But it could provide fodder for opposition Republicans in the US House and Senate who have vowed to block her at every turn, prompting Trump to claim that a "constitutional crisis" could occur if she is elected.

- Heavyweights -

Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former president Bill Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Chelsea Clinton were all mobilized this week in a last ditch push to get out the Democratic vote in swing states.

Clinton, 69, kept up her attacks on Trump, calling him unfit to hold the office of the presidency. She also relied on star power to try to get young people and minorities to vote.

Music star Pharrell Williams campaigned Thursday evening in North Carolina, Jay Z and Beyonce will do so Friday in Ohio and Katy Perry is scheduled to appear Saturday in Florida.

For her very last rally on Monday evening, Clinton will be backed by the Obamas, her husband and her daughter.

- Speech in Spanish -

Clinton's vice presidential running mate, Tim Kaine, made a bit of history by giving a speech entirely in Spanish. He did it in Arizona, a battleground state that borders Mexico and in which she trails Trump.

He addressed as his theme the advantages that come with immigration. The Clinton campaign said it was the first time a speech was given wholly in Spanish at a US presidential rally.

Kaine learned Spanish in 1980 while working with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras.

"No hablo espanol perfectamente," Kaine said in the speech. That means, "My Spanish is not perfect."

The New York Times ran a headline in Spanish the next day that said Kaine did fine.

"Well, Senor Kaine, hablaste espanol muy bien," it said. You spoke Spanish very well.