White House challenger Mr John Kerry today reached out to the Democrats' most reliable voters when he appealed to blacks to help him return social and economic justice to the United States.
"That is the choice in this race my friends," the Massachusetts senator told more than 1,000 parishioners crammed into the Shiloh Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio.
"It is a choice about what kind of country and society we'll have."
In an extremely tight race with Republican President George W Bush, turnout on Tuesday for will be key for Mr Kerry and black voters could well make the difference in swing states like Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Historically, blacks have been the Democratic Party's most dependable constituency.
In the 2000 election, 90 per cent voted for Mr Al Gore while Mr Bush garnered about 9 per cent.
But Mr Kerry, a reserved Boston blueblood from a predominantly white Northeastern state, has on occasion been only received a lukewarm reaction from black audiences, and some black leaders have felt he was taking their support for granted.
Liberally quoting from the Bible, Mr Kerry told the congregation it frustrated him to hear "politicians talk about values ... without actually valuing families the way we ought to."
"Faith without works is dead," he said in obvious reference to Mr Bush's very public espousal of his faith.
Citing tax cuts for the wealthy, job losses and a decline in the number of Americans with health insurance, Mr Kerry said he was running for president because he was "sick and tired" of watching while the wrong choices were made.
"For the next four years we're going to work to do what we need to do to heal the wounds of this country, to be one America," he said.
"We are going to get the job done. Help make this happen, let's walk in the footsteps of the Lord."