Kerry accused Bush of breaking a pledge to make OPEC hike oil production, and vowed to wean U.S. consumers off Middle East oil, while Bush attacked Kerry on Iraq.

Bush continued to assail Kerry’s position on Iraq as he campaigned in Hobbs, a small town on New Mexico’s border with Texas, where the president owns a ranch.

Their campaigns swung through the southwestern United States as both men geared for a final debate in the city of Tempe, Arizona that will focus on domestic issues after two rounds of fireworks on Iraq.

National polls split over who was leading the U.S. presidential race, but Kerry showed signs of making headway against Bush in the decisive state-by-state battle.

A Washington Post/ABC News tracking poll three weeks before the Nov. 2 ballot put Bush on top 51 to 46 percent and a survey by the Rasmussen organization gave the Republican a four-point margin at 49.5 to 45.5 percent.

But a tracking poll by the Zogby International group showed Kerry, the four-term senator from Massachusetts, with a three-point edge at 47-44 percent heading into the final stretch of an acrimonious, marathon campaign.

A USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll gave Kerry a 49 to 48 percent lead over Bush among likely voters, while a poll in mid-September had given Bush a 54 to 40 percent edge.

The conflicting results highlighted a race still too close to call and which shows every indication of careening to the same cliffhanger finish as four years ago when the outcome hinged on a bitter recount in the state of Florida.