It’s Election Day, and no one’s got this in the bag

End game

Hillary Clinton’s and Donald Trump’s morning-to-past-midnight flyarounds of the battlegrounds Monday was about turning out the votes that will matter most in an election that promises a white-knuckle wait for returns Tuesday night.

In national polls, Clinton seemed to have solidified a small lead. CBS, ABC and Fox all showed her ahead by 4 points.

But polling margins were razor-thin in two of the hardest-fought states, Florida and North Carolina, and Trump still voiced hopes of outperforming his polling in such places as Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan to get to 270 electoral votes.

In their final arguments, Clinton urged voters to embrace a “hopeful, inclusive, bighearted America.” Trump called for them to rise up and “beat the corrupt system.” President Barack Obama campaigned hard for his one-time rival and hoped-for successor, calling Trump “uniquely unqualified.”

“Whatever credibility I have earned after eight years as president, I am asking you to trust me on this. I am voting for Hillary Clinton,” Obama said.

Trump: Winning is everything

On a five-state swing, Trump said voting for him could “make every dream you’ve ever dreamed for your family and your country to come true.” What he didn’t outright promise was a win. “Our victory isn’t 100 percent. But it’s close. It’s close,” he told a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“You have one magnificent chance to beat the corrupt system that you’re witnessing today and deliver justice for every forgotten man, woman and child in this country,” he said.

Without victory, he said, “we’ve all wasted our time. They might say good things about us as a movement. It don’t mean a damn thing, folks. We have to go out and have to win.” Read the story by Newsday’s David M. Schwartz.

Clinton: Go steady

Clinton said the voters’ choice is “between strong, steady leadership or a loose cannon who could put everything at risk.”

Tens of thousands cheered her outside Philadelphia’s Independence Hall Monday night, where the candidate who aspires to become the first woman president was joined by the current president, Barack Obama, a past president, her husband Bill Clinton, and first lady Michelle Obama.

She brought celebrity firepower, too — Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi performed. From there, she and Lady Gaga headed to North Carolina for a midnight rally. See Emily Ngo’s story for Newsday.

Full circle

On election night, Clinton and Trump will end their campaigns by returning to where they began — New York.

Its “values,” its accents and its deep-pocketed donors have played a starring role in the race between Trump, a Manhattan real estate mogul, and Clinton, the state’s former senator. See the story by Newsday’s Laura Figueroa.

The take-away: NY stakeholders

Whether Trump or Clinton wins the presidency, the state party organizations and their top players have a stake.

A Trump win would mean more clout in state GOP circles for Western New York businessman Carl Paladino and a possible cabinet job for Rudy Giuliani.

Clinton could bring New York Democrats with her while she manages relationships with feuding supporters Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Either way, Chuck Schumer — in line to become the top Democrat in the Senate — becomes a bigger player. See Dan Janison’s column for Newsday.

Hispanic vote surge

From Day 1 of his campaign, with his accusation that Mexico was sending criminals and rapists across the border, to his attack on the Mexican ancestry of a judge, Trump handed Democrats a tool to mobilize Hispanic voters. It may be paying off.

Nationwide, the growth in registration by Hispanics (17%) has far outpaced that of whites (2%) and African-Americans (5%) since 2012, according to Pew Research.

In Nevada, early voting turnout showed Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid’s two-year effort to boost Hispanic voter registration in his home state of Nevada could make the difference there, Politico reports.

It’s a toxic landslide

Asked in a New York Times/CBS News poll how they felt about the presidential campaign now coming to an end, 13% said they were excited and 82% said it was disgusting.

What else is happening

• Newsday’s 2016 Voters Guide is online with profiles of every candidate and proposition on Long Island ballots.
• NBC News, citing campaign advisers as sources, said Trump cabinet prospects include Giuliani for attorney general, Newt Gingrich for secretary of state and retired Lt. Gen Michael Flynn for defense secretary or national security adviser. It’s not clear if Chris Christie is still under consideration.
• Christie was on “CBS This Morning,” but not in his role as a Trump surrogate. The New Jersey governor maintained his name was cleared in the Bridgegate trial that ended with the conviction of two former aides. A poll showed his popularity with home state voters at an all-time 19% low.
• Trump Monday was still ripping Jay Z and Beyonce’s performance at a Clinton rally, going off on a tangent to ask whether hip-hop is “talking or singing?”
• There was merry mockery on Twitter after CNN Trump surrogate Scottie Nell Hughes criticized Jay Z for a video depicting “a crowd throwing mazel tov cocktails.” She meant Molotov, not the Hebrew phrase for congratulations.
• The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid to restore a court order barring the Trump campaign from engaging in poll-watching activities that Democrats contend could lead to voter intimidation in Ohio.
• The Clinton campaign called off plans for a Tuesday night fireworks show on the Hudson River near its election-night headquarters at the Javits Center.