Mark Beckford, Gleaner Writer

SOME JAMAICANS living in the state of Illinois, the home turf of Democratic Senator Barack Obama, are anticipating next Tuesday's election in the United States.

In the twin cities of Urbana Champaign, two hours' drive from Chicago, University of Illinois students, Kamilah Taylor and Lavern Byfield, are among the scores of individuals excited about the race.

The election battle over the last two months has been an engaging affair with both candidates, Republican Senator John McCain and Obama vying for the hearts and minds of Americans. The election has essentially taken over the cities as the airwaves and streets have been awash with political messages.

Exciting times

Signs litter the homes of residents, either supporting Obama or McCain, and activities on the university's campus reflect the mood with an Obama booth seen at the Students Union building on Tuesday.

Taylor and Byfield want an Obama win and have attended his rallies in the state. However, despite Obama's sustained lead in the polls, they are wary.

Gap closing

"I am hoping that Obama will win and I feel that he will win. But I still have to remember that this is America and some people are still not comfortable with the idea of a black first lady; Obama is bi-racial and this factors in his success so far," said Byfield, a fourth-year PhD student in education.

She also pointed to the closeness in some national polls.

The race has tightened over the last few days with Obama holding his lead over McCain. The Gallup Daily National poll of registered voters yesterday showed Obama leading McCain by eight points with 50 per cent to McCain's 42 per cent. This showed a loss of one point from the previous day.

Taylor, who is a PhD student in computer science at the univer-sity, concurs with Byfield's fears.

"I don't want to think who will win next week because I don't want to goat-mouth the results. I was in the US for the Bush campaign and election in 2000, and I must tell you that even though I'd only started paying attention to politics around that time, I never dreamt that Bush would win. It was an eye-opener," she said.

Monumental watershed

Both also think that neither possible outcome of next week's election will result in much change in Jamaica's relations with the US. They, however, believe that an Obama win would be a monumental watershed in the history of people of African descent in Jamaica.

"I am sure that a win by Barack Obama will positively impact the psyche of Jamaicans who are predominantly of African descent. Blacks in the diaspora have struggled with identity issues and I am sure Obama will be a positive influence, especially for our boys, who, for the most part, are marginalised," said Byfield.