AP: Obama close to 271 electoral votes

An Associated Press analysis says President Obama is in position to claim 271 electoral votes -- one more than needed to re-claim the White House.

The AP also notes: "To be sure, anything can happen in the coming days to influence the Nov. 6 election."

As it stands now, the AP says that Republican challenger Mitt Romney "continues to have fewer state-by-state paths than Obama" to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to win, because he is seen as trailing the president in the key state of Ohio.

"Without Ohio's 18 electoral votes, Romney would need last-minute victories in nearly all the remaining up-for-grabs states and manage to pick off key states now leaning Obama's way, such as Iowa or Wisconsin," says the AP.

Also from the Associated Press:

"The analysis shows that Obama probably would win with at least 271 electoral votes from 21 states, including Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa, and the District of Columbia.

"Romney seems on track for 206 from 23 states, including North Carolina. Obama won that state in 2008 and campaigned aggressively there this year. But Obama's team acknowledges it is the most difficult state for him to win, and he's paid less attention to it recently.

"Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire and Virginia, with a combined 61 votes at stake, could go either way."

Romney aides, meanwhile, cite polls showing they are closing in on Obama in states like Ohio, Virginia, Florida and Iowa.

The wire service also notes that its analysis "isn't intended to predict the outcome."

"Rather, it's meant to provide a snapshot of a race that has been stubbornly close in the small number of competitive states all year.

"The analysis is based on public polls and internal campaign surveys as well as spending on television advertising, candidate visits, get-out-the-vote organizations and interviews with dozens of Republican and Democratic strategists in Washington and in the most contested states."