US: After the climax of the Democratic National Convention in Boston last night, presidential candidate Mr John Kerry and his running-mate, Mr John Edwards, take to the road this morning, wasting no time in bringing their pumped-up campaign to the key states in the November election.
They will leave Boston by bus after an early morning rally and head west to Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state where Mr Kerry has a slight edge over President George W. Bush.
Mr Bush will also be on the road, in Missouri, ending a week-long period during which he left the field to Mr Kerry.
He and the Vice-President, Mr Dick Cheney, are planning to continue campaigning throughout August in the run-up to the Republican convention in New York in four weeks.
The Republicans have a window of more than a month to raise extra campaign funds.
However, Mr Kerry is restricted under a law which allows him to spend only a fixed amount in federal funds after accepting the formal nomination.
Top Democratic fundraisers met in Boston on Wednesday to see how they could combat the estimated $40 billion advantage to Mr Bush, perhaps through non-party groups that can accept donations to run television advertisements.
Before his nationally televised acceptance speech Mr Kerry said he would promise to build an America stronger at home and respected in the world.
The speech is considered critical by party organisers to help reverse recent opinion polls which show a majority of Americans still trust President Bush more in the fight against terrorism.
However, Mr Bush has low approval ratings and most Americans say they would like a change of leadership, factors which contributed to a growing sense of confidence among delegates as the four-day convention showcased a united, positive party.
The programme last night included an introduction by his daughters Alex and Vanessa, praise for Mr Kerry from his Vietnam crewmates, and a new, nine-minute biographical film on his life created by film-maker James Moll with the help of Steven Spielberg.
Polls also show that many Americans are still unfamiliar with Mr Kerry's life, from his birth in Colorado to his military service in Vietnam, his anti-war agitation, a decade as a Boston prosecutor and his four terms in the US Senate.
Called A Remarkable Promise, the documentary includes grainy footage shot by Kerry himself when he was in Vietnam.
Last night's programme also featured former Georgia senator Mr Max Cleland who lost three limbs in Vietnam and whose defeat in 2000 after Republicans depicted him as a traitor infuriated Democrats.
Also helping establish Mr Kerry's credentials as a trusted commander was Jim Rassman, the Green Beret rescued by Kerry from the Mekong waters under enemy fire.
Bush-Cheney campaign officials have deliberately raised expectations for Kerry, predicting a 15-point "bounce" from the convention, but Democrats have dampened hopes of anything other than a modest gain, given the small number of undecided voters.
Mr Kerry's decision to start campaigning within hours of his acceptance speech stems from his study of the way the 1988 Democratic nominee, Mr Michael Dukakis, then governor of Massachusetts, squandered a 17 point lead over Mr George H.W. Bush, partly by declining to campaign during August.