MORRISVILLE, PA. — And now it is closing time. On Monday, in the final hours of their 17-month, nearly $3 billion marathon, the two candidates and their running mates are scheduled to hold 14 events across eight states.

For Republican challenger Mitt Romney, this last full day of campaigning is aimed at achieving what he has seemingly been unable to do over the first 522 days: overcome President Barack Obama's razor-thin but steady leads in the states where the election will be decided.

On Sunday, it appeared that Romney's task was getting a little harder.