US election

Barack Obama has launched his historic campaign for the White House with an outdoor extravaganza, promising more than 84,000 cheering supporters an end to the "broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush."

There were messages of good will from many Kiwis, but it was the jubilation of Americans that brought tears to Tracey Barnett's eyes.

Cindy McCain says Republican vice presidential pick Sarah Palin understands what's at stake in national security issues in part because she is governor of Alaska, located in close proximity to Russia.

Anti-tax crusader Rand Paul's election victory has given the tea party a flag bearer to send to the Senate and hope that more like-minded Washington outsiders would be elected to Congress.

In a day of stunning disclosures, John McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has said her 17-year-old unmarried daughter was five months pregnant, and it was revealed that an attorney was hired to defend the governor in a probe into the firing of her public safety commissioner.

President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have made their final urgent pleas to voters in a closing sprint through vital battleground states that will determine who wins their agonizingly close race for the White House.

Republicans sought today to put their Hurricane Gustav-eclipsed convention back on track with a series of speeches by political heavy weights.

Two Dunedin residents will be celebrating more loudly than most if Barack Obama wins the race to be the next president of the United States.