vote no on question 2. from nbc news, world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. we're back here in in our nbc news election center with coverage on the eve of the presidential election. and we are officially down to the wire. less than 24 hours until the first polls close. the candidates, hillary clinton, and donald trump, are in a frantic, final sprint to the finish line. they've spent the last full day of the campaign, blitzing through battleground states, and the dash won't end until late tonight. while our latest polling shows clinton holding on to a national lead over trump, we have it all covered. our team in place. and we want to begin with peter alexander

>> reporter: is there anyone in the country that isn't glad this campaign is over? sure looks like donald trump is. >> it's the last day of our campaign. who would have believed this? who would have believed it? it's been some campaign too. >> reporter: trump, kicking off the 510th and final day of his improbable campaign in florida. and doing what a lot of voters have done. seeing what they want to see in him. >> nice head of hair, i'll say that. >> reporter: trump closing out the race days. by the end of tonight, 14 stops in ten states since saturday. trump aides insist they see several paths to 270 and are confident of flipping one state in the upper midwest that hasn't gone republican in a generation. >> we're going to win michigan. you know what we're going to win? we're going to win minnesota. >> it's a hard sell to analysts that michigan is actually in play. but when you don't have any options, you

possible. >> reporter: as his top aides question the thoroughness of the fbi's review of hillary clinton's e-mails. >> why re-open the investigation if there's no there there? and frankly the investigation has been a hot mess from the beginning. >> reporter: trump insisting clinton is being protected by a rigged system. >> now it's up to the american people to deliver justice at the ballot box tomorrow. >> reporter: to win, trump will need to expapp expand his support beyond white working class voters, tay directing appeals to hispanics and african americans, even as he criticized jay c's and beyonce's performance on behalf of clinton. >> singing, right? talking? was there talking or singing? i don't know. >> reporter: toying with which best loyalists would fill out a trump cabinet. gingri though advisers say trump's focus for now

talk about the historic nature of hillary clinton's candidacy, if elected, donald trump would make history himself, the first president without any government or military experience. he's going to wrap up his 17-month campaign late tonight with stops in new hampshire and michigan before returning home to new york city, lester, where he will vote early tomorrow morning. >> peter alexander on democracy plaza tonight. hillary clinton also spending her final day of the campaign rallying voters in the key battlegrounds, but she steered clear of me controversy on the trail, even after that big announcement today from fbi director james comey. we get more from nbc's kristen welker. >> reporter: hillary clinton's final sprint as she fights to become the first female president. >> tomorrow, we face the test of our time. >> reporter: tonight emboldened after fbi director james comey announced sunday his review of newly discovered e-mails

e-mails. >> stronger together! >> reporter: today clinton showing new confidence on the trail. >> tomorrow you can vote for a hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted america. >> reporter: but she's not mentioning the e-mail issue, her campaign telling nbc news, it turns off swing voters. clinton avoiding the question today. although some supporters concerned the damage is already done. >> i'm so angry. it seemed like such a political stunt. >> reporter: but clinton not looking back, today making key states, including reliably blue michigan and pennsylvania where donald trump is making a strong play. >> hello, pittsburgh. >> reporter: clinton revealing her closing argument, after going negative, she'll stay positive for the last 24 hours, including in this two-minute ad airing tonight. >> i want to be a president for all americans. >> reporter: and for one final day, calling on the current commander in chief to try to energize the democratic base. >> so when i tell you

going to look out for you, you need to listen. do not be bamboozled. don't fall for the okey-doke. >> we're asking if you'll vote for hillary clinton. >> reporter: with the clock ticking, it all comes down to this, the ground game. the campaign touting more than a million volunteers out in force, all across the country. >> so after tomorrow, the work will begin, and one of the highest priorities that i feel an obligation to address is how together. >> reporter: a party mobilized. a candidate hoping to make history. and here in philadelphia, the spot where clinton officially accepted her party's nomination, she's capping her campaign with her most power-packed rally yet. joined by her husband, the obamas, bon jovi, and bruce springsteen. >> kristen welker in philadelphia, thank you. let's bring in the

you've got an insightful look of how people feel about this election. >> it gets to the november 9th problem in this country. how do bring the people together. we asked people to give us a word or phrase on what they think of each candidate. this is a word cloud of what clinton voters think of trump. nasty words. misogynist, sexist, womanizer, racist, biggot. you're thinking how would these folks handle a president trump. take a look at what clinton. crooked, corrupt, liar, dishonest. now you wonder, how does a president clinton govern trump voters. i think it's going to be a huge challenge to bring this country together no matter who wins. but for what it's worth, the entire country is fed up with this presidential election. one of our pollsters did this at a focus group and he said, tell us what this campaign smells to you like. skunk, rotten egg,

and i have a picture of a cow here, but it isn't the snout we're pointing out here. it's what comes out on the other side. it's how many americans have described this election. >> what's the old joke? tell me how you feel? but it's not funny. >> it's not. >> and nicole wallace is here and she's not laughing. >> every woman wants to be set up with tha >> you have been in the campaign. i'm fascinated by the last 24 hours. i gotta think, both camps right now, only if we had done what? >> if you're hillary clinton, if only i hadn't set up a home-brewed server. almost every word on that board chuck showed us, stems from this feeling that she acted in a way that wasn't completely up to snuff in terms of high ethical standards and the way you want -- >> the word trust links back to that?

from the fact that she set up an e-mail server in her house, but wasn't up front about it when asked by arn dreea mitchell at the u.n. in new york, i'll never forget the press conference. in you could undo one thing, it would be not the server. >> and the trump folks? >> that he kept all his attacks focused on his political opponents, not innocent people, like a disabled journalist. it's the insults against women, against a gold star all those things make up the negative feelings about donald trump. >> nicole, thank you. i'll talk to chuck about that. >> exactly. now we look at a major story line after the election, who will control congress, with a look at the key down-ballot races. we're joined by nbc's hallie jackson. >> the senate races could be almost as important as the race for the white house tomorrow night. let me explain why. because it could get really interesting.

control congress, but take a look at our senate battleground map for tomorrow night. arizona looks pretty safe for john mccain. same thing for florida with marco rubio. high latino turn-out in nevada could hurt republicans. the democrat in indiana seems to be losing steam, but in pennsylvania, she's picking up momentum. so let's drill down on the three states we have left. these are basically coin-flips. watch what happens under this scenario. in mouse, jason candor could unseat the sitting center there. but if richard burr in north carolina hangs on to his seat and kelly ayotte in new hampshire, look what happens. it's a 50/50 split in the senate with the supreme court nomination on the line, the future of the affordable care act and immigration reform. what happens then? whoever is the vice president will be the tiebreaker. making that trip down pennsylvania avenue,

drama. >> lot of drama here. thank you very much. if tomorrow's election has many in this country on edge, people throughout the world are paying close attention as well. many express concerns about the deep division the election has brought out here in the u.s. and fear about the impact on their countries, including new questions about the impact on the fight against isis. we get more tonight from our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel. >> reporter: whoever wins, the decisions of the next commander in tremendous impact on the world. take the fight against isis, now at its most dangerous phase. street-to-street. we asked iraqi special forces in mosul to wear body cameras, to see what they see, how they're kissed by residents who hate the extremists, how they use bulldozers to avoid isis booby traps. but this intimate perspective showed us something even more important, iraqis are standing and fighting.

retrain iraqi troops, for now at least, seems to be working. in fact, isis could lose most of its self-declared state by the time president obama leaves office. what the u.s. does matters globally, which is why there's so much concern about what clinton or trump would do as commander in chief. the elections are leading world headlines. >> hillary clinton. >> trump. >> clinton. >> reporter: and not in a good way. they're generally and an embarrassment. overall, one candidate is attracting most of the attention. french president hollande went after trump, saying his statements make you want to wretch. iran's president said, if this election represents democracy, he doesn't want it. and the pope, in what seemed to be a dig at trump, said the world should focus on building bridges, not walls. one thing i keep hearing from people in

how divided this country has become. from afar, it seems like the most divided it's been since the 1960s. and that is not seen as a sign of strength. >> richard engel, thank you. still ahead, the battle being waged on college campuses across the nation. it's not just republican versus democrat. it's also republican versus republican. as many get ready to vote for the very

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tv and phone for just 79.99 per month online for the first year. only from fios. vo: ending funding for planned parenthood. taking away our right to choose. restricting our health care choices. this is senator kelly ayotte's record. ayotte voted six times to end funding for planned parenthood - putting access to birth control and cancer screenings at risk. and she supports overturning roe v. wade. woman 1: kelly ayotte says she's for women. voters definitely cannot trust kelly ayotte. vo: senate majority pac is responsible for the content of this advertising. we're back now with the crucial millennial vote. many will cast their very first ballots in a presidential race tomorrow and after months of gop civil war, it's hard to recall a time when younger republicans were so divided.

explains, both sides insist they are the future of the party. in tonight's installment of red, white, and you. >> reporter: of all the lonely places to be a proud donald trump supporter, penn state university may be one of the loneliest. >> you're opening yourself out to a whole heck of a lot of criticism. >> that's not yours. >> reporter: they are outcasts on campus even among college republicans. >> they're not here to waste their time. state's chapter like dozens of others around the country, rejecting the party nominee for the first time in its history. >> we're faced with a candidate who could almost be the end of the republican party as we know it. the fracture lingers. the question of the direction of the future party, unanswered. the republican party has an identity crisis going on. >> absolutely. >> i agree. and i honestly hope that the future of the republican party does not hinge on whether or not trump is

like he is in line with a lot of the emerging millennial republican ideals. >> reporter: at campbell university in north carolina, john lambert and ryan fournier met as college republicans but now run students for trump, which has spread to 100 universities and millions on social media. >> i see donald trump has reviving the republican party. >> we get hundreds of photos sent in on a daily basis through instagram, twitter, facebook, and it motivates us, because we >> reporter: it is a movement trump backers insist that's bigger than the candidate. >> we'll never go away. we will never go away. >> we want a rn with, we want a fighter, we want someone that's going to reform the republican party. >> reporter: the future of the party in the balance. young republicans perhaps permanently divided. jacob rascon, nbc news, state college, pennsylvania. when we come back, it landed popstar justin timberlake in

doing this at the ballot box. red, wh molly's not thinking about cancer today, but three years from now, a routine screening will catch it early and make all the difference. for planned parenthood, cutting access to cancer screenings and birth control for thousands of women, it's politics for him. for molly, it's the rest of her life. the stakes are too high to make chris sununu governo. this advertisement has been paid for by put new hampshire first and has not been authorized by any candidate. c'mon in, pop pop! happy birthday! i survived a heart attack. i'm doing all i can to

for people who've been hospitalized for a heart attack. i take brilinta with a baby aspirin. no more than one hundred milligrams as it affects how well it works. brilinta helps keep my platelets from sticking together and forming a clot. brilinta reduced the chance of another heart attack. or dying from one. it worked better than plavix. >>don't stop taking brilinta without talking to your doctor since stopping it too soon increases your risk of clots in your stent, heart attack, stroke, and even death. brilinta may cause bruising or bleeding more easily, or serious, sometimes fatal bleeding. like stomach ulcers, a history of bleeding in the brain, or severe liver problems. tell your doctor about bleeding, new or unexpected shortness of breath, any planned surgery, and all medicines you take. >>talk to your doctor about brilinta. i'm doing all i can. that includes brilinta. if you can't afford your medication, astra zeneca may be able to help. massachusetts has many great public schools, and we took it for granted that our kids would go to great public schools.

and they have no choice. imagine if your kids were trapped in a failing school. public charter schools give parents a choice and are a pathway to success for these kids. if you like your school, question 2 won't affect you. but question 2 will change the future for thousands of kids who need your help. please join me and vote yes on question 2. happens tomorrow, this election will be historic, that's why so many people may have wanted to record their choices at the voting booth, with a selfie. but doing so has become an election issue itself. a legal election issue, as we hear from joe fryer. >> can you get in? >> reporter: the selfie, that modern-day self-portrait so popular not even the pope's immune. but how about taking one while voting? >> i don't like selfie in the voting booth. >> i don't think i would do it, but i don't think that it

learned after snapping this photo, ballot selfies are not allowed in tennessee. in two dozen states it's illegal to take a picture of your ballot inside the voting booth. one reason to prevent bribery, fearing some voters would do it so they can get paid. the rules have been called archaic. >> to share one's marked ballot is a celebration he we need to protect ourselves rights. >> reporter: that new california law doesn't take effect until january. so the aclu went to court hoping to lift the ballot selfie ban sooner. but the judge said no. >> reporter: that doesn't stop levine from posting his mail-in ballot on social media. a law-maker breaking the law without much worry. >> there's actually never been any history of people being prosecuted for taking a picture of their marked ballot. >> reporter: across the country, the laws

confusi confusing. last week in new york, a judge rejected ballot selfies, while in colorado, ruled you can take the selfie. joe fryer, nbc news, los angeles. when we come back, what a race this has been. all the most talked about moments from an election season unlike any we've ever seen. vo: ending funding for planned parenthood. taking away our right to choose. restricting our health care choices. this is senator kelly ayotte's record.

orts overturning roe v. wade. woman 1: kelly ayotte says she's for women. but it's just an act. woman 2: voters definitely cannot trust kelly ayotte. vo: senate majority pac is responsible for the content of this advertising.

orxpand yo officeantake on atev? our neighborhood public schools. they are the bedrock of our communities. the place where 96% of our kids are educated. but even now, these local schools are losing more than 400 million dollars a year to privately-run charter schools. and if question 2 passes, it will only get worse. we can't let that happen. to protect our public schools and the right of all our kids to a quality education, vote no on question 2. finally tonight, who would have dreamed that the country would witness the kind of election campaign this

memorable only begins to describe it. we want to take a look back at some of the key moments of an extraordinary race. >> i'm running for president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ] >> i announce my candidacy for president of the united states. >> i am proud to announce nigh candidacy. >> i declare that i am a candidate for president. >> and i've decided i'm a candidate for president. >> i'm running for president. >> ladies and gentlemen, i am offici president of the united states. and we are going to make our country great again. ? i've traveled every road in this here land ? ? i've been everywhere man ? ? i've been everywhere man ? ? across the deserts ? ? i've breathed the mountain air man ? ? i've had my share man ? ? i've been everywhere ? >> voting has finally begun in the race for

president has gone as expected. >> they're bringing drugs, they're bringi bringing crime. they're rapists. >> i will build a great, great wall. >> he'si like people that weren't captured. >> calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states. >> i have just one word for mr. trump. bafta. enough! >> you could put half of tru into what i call the basket of deplorables. >> and it would have been better if i had had two separate accounts to begin with. >> the american people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails. >> donald trump made it official today, naming indiana governor mike pence as his running mate. all signs pointing to virginia center tim kaine. >> tonight it's show time in cleveland. >> i humbly and gratefully accept your nomination. >> welcome to day one

>> i accept your nomination for president of the united states! >> good evening from hofstra university. >> she doesn't have the stamina. >> so a man who can be provoked by a tweet should not have his fingers knr fingers anywhere near the nuclear codes. >> this was locker room talk, nobody has more respect for women than i do. >> donald thinks belittling women makes hi >> such a nasty woman. >> with 11 days to go, the head of the fbi dropped a bomb in the race for president this afternoon. >> i think people a long time ago, made up their minds about the e-mails. >> donald trump and hillary clinton are playing the end game. >> you know what you can do? go out and vote tomorrow. that's what you can do. >> vote for yourself, vote for your families, vote for your futures. ? ? >> and here we are,

night. a program note, our election night coverage begins in less than 24 hours. tomorrow at 7:00 eastern, 4:00 p.m. pacific, we hope you'll join us for decision night in america. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and

massachusetts' newspapers rarely agree, but they do on question 2. they agree opponents have run a "campaign of misinformation" to spread "fear through white, affluent neighborhoods." they agree in the suburbs question 2 will have "no impact on their schools and their children." they agree it will provide vital "choices for urban parents" and help reduce "the achievement gap." question 2 is "a kid's civil right." join leading newspapers

>> following breaking news wild scene at the cambridge side galleria. large police presence trying to clear crowds. stores in the mall. >> 7s live at the scene. >> reporter: all right. i just spoke with police that tell us the mall is closed at this hour. they have this area blocked off. police officers controlling traffic around the mall area. people are trickling out. it is not a massive crowd.