According to the new data, Arizona Senator John McCain's home state has slipped into a statistical dead heat. The latest numbers, which show Sen. McCain with a 46-44 lead, come from Arizona State University along with PBS affiliate, KAET.

(A video from the ASU/KAET poll )

These results, along with data from a number of other state polls, indicate a marked decrease in Sen. McCain's lead, which was at one point estimated at as much as 21 points.

Poll director and long-time political consultant, Dr. Bruce Merrill said that in addition to the closing numbers, he sees a number of intriguing trends in the new data.

Merrill points the the narrow slice of the electorate that might still be swayed during the last days of the campaign as one of the most interesting trends from his poll.

"[Voters] are firmly committed and won't change their mind before Election Day," Merrill said.

94 percent of Obama's supporters, and 93 percent of McCain's supporters say they will not change their mind before the election.

According to Merrill, Obama's broader strategy for winning the traditional swing voter has proven successful in Arizona, and that McCain's nationally secured base is reflected in his home state.

"Obama has been closing the gap by attracting independents and women to his campaign," Merrill said. "McCain does well among conservative Democrats and evangelicals."

Text messages seem to be cheaper and almost as effective as more traditional means aimed at getting voters out on election day.  Read the whole article here from ASU's WebDevil.

Arizona State College Republicans get together every Thursday to talk about current issues. This past week, they talked about the presidential campaign.

The difficulties universities face to host a presidential debate were discussed yesterday in a story at ASU's The State Press.

Click here to read it online.

How does being entrenched in the study of journalism affect the way these Arizona State students see the election?
"It definitely puts things in perspective," said Michelle Parks, a freshman at Arizona State University.