More from my contribution to this week’s Human Events magazine, the last in this election season:

FLORIDA

Romney camp confident about Sunshine State win

Though it is certain to remain a nail-biter into the wee hours of election night, at least one of the candidates is feeling more confident about a Florida advantage.

Mitt Romney enjoys a slight lead in the latest polls in the Sunshine State, and he has received a bump from certain polling agencies already calling the state in his favor.

This is quite a turn of events from earlier consensus in Florida, as many saw the surging registration of Democratic voters as a sure indication the race was Barack Obama’s to win again.

But with polling advantages and momentum on his side, the Romney camp remains confident the South’s most precious swing state and its 29 electoral votes will be declared theirs Nov. 6.

Poll watch: The Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9/Herald poll gives Romney significant advantage before Election Day, placing him ahead with 51 percent to Obama’s 45 percent.

The Mason-Dixon polling company all but pulled out of the state last week.

“Romney has pretty much nailed down Florida,” Brad Coker of Mason-Dixon Polling and Research said last week in its last conclusive statewide poll. “Unless something dramatically changes — an October surprise, a major gaffe — Romney’s going to win Florida.”

In early October, Suffolk University’s polling operation pulled out of the state, declaring Florida was destined to “be painted red on Election Day.”

Former President Bill Clinton made a solo trip to St. Petersburg on Friday, hoping once again to push the crowd toward early voting in the  last available hours.

Wednesday, Romney held a brief rally at the Tampa airport before jetting to Coral Gables and Jacksonville. He was joined by popular conservatives from the Sunshine State, including former Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio, as well as U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, searching for momentum in his race for the U.S. Senate.

— Yaël Ossowski

Read more: Human Events