President Barack Obama begins his re-election campaign defending traditionally Republican territory that he carried when he won the White House four years ago.
Meanwhile, Republican challenger Mitt Romney is looking to reclaim any combination of these Republican strongholds now in flux.
In the months leading to the Nov. 6 election, both men will talk about how they will galvanize the nation. But in reality, they will lavish travel, advertising and staff on only a dozen states -- and even fewer as the vote nears.
The political spotlight will shine brightly again on Florida, and the Upper Midwest, especially Ohio. But changes in the nation's demographics will mean heavy attention paid to the Mid-Atlantic and Southwest.
"For a long time the map was static. I don't think that holds true anymore," said Tad Devine, a senior adviser to former Democratic presidential nominees Al Gore and John Kerry. "Places like North Carolina and Virginia are changing, and they are getting a fresh look."
Despite the candidates' effort to make the election a national referendum, local trends and factors may decide whether campaigns go all-out in a state or bail to channel resources elsewhere.
It's a chess game aimed at reaching the 270 electoral votes needed to win.
If the election were held now, Obama would safely carry 14 states, mainly the East and West Coasts, and the District of Columbia, with a total of 186 electoral votes. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, probably would prevail in 20 states, primarily in the South and West, worth 156.
Both campaigns agree the election will turn on the 16 remaining states, and probably in those won by Obama in 2008 against Republican Sen. John McCain.
Romney's battle with Rick Santorum for the Republican nomination slowed his preparations for the fall showdown in Florida. If Romney were to win the state's 29 electoral votes, it would block Obama's clearest path to 270, said Rick Wiley, political director for the Republican National Committee.
"Deny him Florida and his map alters significantly," Wiley said.
Ohio, too, is a jump-ball. In 2010, Republicans roared back. The manufacturing economy, especially its automotive parts sector in northern Ohio, continues to struggle, although unemployment has dropped below the national average.
"In Ohio, you're looking at the general election as a referendum on the economy," senior Romney adviser Kevin Madden said.
Yet Romney must contend in Ohio with the fallout from a party feud and an Obama campaign that never quit organizing after winning the state in 2008.
Republicans see North Carolina and Virginia as Romney's best chance to pick up an Obama-carried state.
Though defending inroads into Republican states, Obama has an advantage of forcing Romney to spend money there, and that, Obama aides say, shows some of the options of reaching 270.
"We have an ability to win in a number of different scenarios," said Obama's campaign manager, Jim Messina. "The map has moved. This is not your parents' electoral map."
Hispanic voters helped Obama win last time in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico, and, according to polls, they prefer him over Romney.
But Romney expects to be competitive in all three states. For one, Nevada has a popular Republican governor, Brian Sandoval, who endorsed Romney on Wednesday.
In the Midwest, Romney hopes his native Michigan status and family name -- his father was governor in the 1960s -- help, as does his business background, given that the state's jobless rate exceeds the national average.
But his opposition to the federal auto industry bailout in 2008 may hurt him in the car capital.
Obama campaign aides have sent signals they will contest Arizona, arguing the Hispanic voter trend favours them. However, they and Romney aides say that tipping point is years away and that it remains a safe Republican state
