ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) — On the eve of the Republican convention, a new national poll suggests the race for the White House remains dead even.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Sunday night shows the Obama-Biden ticket leading the McCain-Palin ticket by one point, 49 percent to 48 percent, a statistical dead heat.

The survey was conducted Friday through Sunday, after both the conclusion of the Democratic convention and McCain’s selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

A previous CNN poll, taken just one week earlier, suggested the race between Sens. McCain, R-Arizona, and Obama, D-Illinois, was tied at 47 percent each.

“The convention — and particularly Obama's speech — seems to be well-received. And the selection of Sarah Palin as the GOP running mate, also seems to be well-received. So why is the race still a virtual tie? Probably because the two events created equal and opposite bounces — assuming that either one created a bounce at all,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

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ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) – A celebration of New Orleans culture will take on a more somber tone Monday, as plans for a large party at the Republican convention has been scaled back because of Hurricane Gustav.

Gustav is set to make landfall at sunrise, potentially delivering a devastating blow to New Orleans, which is still rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the city causing massive death and destruction.

The “New Orleans All-Star Jam-Balaya” was designed to highlight the city’s culture as well as bring attention to the ongoing reconstruction efforts. It is being paid for by a diverse group of companies ranging from Roll Call newspaper, PhRMA, and the National Restaurant Association and featured New Orleans musicians, an open bar and cuisine that has helped to put the city on the map. The musicians will still play, but the drinks are no longer free and they are scaling back on the food.

Instead the focus will now be on raising money for relief organizations that are expected to be overwhelmed once the storm passes as well as educating the 1,500 people that are expected to attend the event about the needs of the region.

“We want to make sure we are talking about what needs to happen for long-term protection of the city and to sustain a long term building effort,” said Emily Byram, executive director of the Friends of New Orleans, which is organizing the event.

Biden and Obama campaigned in Ohio Sunday.

TOLEDO, Ohio (CNN) – Joe Biden says there are obvious differences between himself and fellow vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, but they’re not just on policy. She’s good-looking.

“There’s a gigantic difference between John McCain and Barack Obama and between me and I suspect my vice presidential opponent,” Biden said at an outdoor rally Sunday, getting ready to hit the GOP ticket for their economic policies.

“She’s good-looking,” he quipped.

“You are gorgeous!” a female supporter in the audience shouted out. Biden asked her to repeat it into the microphone so his wife at home would hear.

“I haven’t heard that in a long, long, long time,” Biden said as the audience laughed. “Being around this lean young-looking guy is making me feel pretty old, you know what I mean? I thought I was in pretty good shape until I hung out with this guy.”

At the rooftop rally, both Biden and Obama commented on Palin for the first time without prompting from reporters. Obama joked he’s now considering going to Palin’s home state of Alaska – the only state he says he hasn’t visited – but chose to focus his comments on her position on equal pay for women.

“John McCain’s new VP nominee seems like a very engaging person, a nice person. But I’ve got to say, she’s opposed - like John McCain is - to equal pay for equal work. That doesn’t make much sense to me.”

Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella called Obama's comments a disgrace and "an absurd accusation."

Obama later made sure his running mate realizes he's good-looking as well.

“You see, she thinks you’re gorgeous too Joe,” said Obama. “Jill goes back home and look what happens!”

“This is worth the run,” responded Biden.

Ron Paul's rally will go on as scheduled, his campaign said.

St. Paul, MINNESOTA (CNN) — The convention for former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul will go on as planned, the campaign said Sunday, despite the RNC’s decision to truncate their program.

With Hurricane Gustav approaching the Gulf Coast, Republicans announced that they would hold an abbreviated session Monday and determine the rest of the week’s schedule on a day-by-day basis.

Paul’s campaign said it decided to stick with their schedule because it didn’t want to have to turn down the 10,000 people expected to attend the three-day event.

The “Rally for the Republic” kicked off Sunday with a training class for those interested in learning the skills needed to be an activist, according to the convention’s Web site.

Monday’s schedule includes musical performances from Rockie Lynne‚ Aimee Allen‚ Mark Scibilia and Rick Ellis, and late-night speech by Paul.

The main event takes place Tuesday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. When planning for the event began earlier this year, it was originally scheduled to take place at the University of Minnesota, but due to a “strong initial response,” it was moved to The Target in Minneapolis, which can house up to 18,000 people.

Speakers Tuesday include NBC’s Tucker Carlson, former Minnesota Gov. Jesse and another appearance by Paul.

The rally will officially launch Paul’s new political action group: the “Campaign for Liberty.”

"The Rally for the Republic will send a powerful, positive message to the Republican Party that there is an army of grassroots activists across the country ready to work with them if steer back to their traditions of limited government and personal liberty," said Campaign for Liberty spokesman Jesse Benton.

(CNN) – Barack Obama has spoken with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff about Hurricane Gustav preparations, Obama advisor Robert Gibbs said Sunday.

He was briefed on the status of the storm, the evacuation process and coordination between federal, state and local authorities, Gibbs said.

ST. PAUL (CNN) - More information about how Monday's abbreviated opening session of the Republican convention will run should be available in the next several hours.

According to Credential Committee Chairman James Herring, a conference call is underway with RNC Chairman Mike Duncan and others to figure out the

details of what needs to take place tomorrow in order to meet convention rules.

Herring is also the chair of Mississippi's Republican Party and plans to meet with his delegation later today to assess whether anyone needs to go home to prepare for Hurricane Gustav. Herring said the priority for his delegation is to protect everyone's "life" and "property" but "we also need a quorum" to complete convention business.

McCain said most of Monday's events will be canceled.

caption="McCain addressed Republican delegates Sunday."]St. Paul (CNN) – Sen. John McCain said the Republican National Convention will suspend most of the activities scheduled Monday because of Hurricane Gustav.

“We’ll pray for the best and prepare for the worst,” the presumptive Republican presidential candidate said Sunday, quoting Gulf Coast Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.

Campaign manager Rick Davis said Republicans would meet in an abbreviated fashion, conducting only what was necessary to constitute a convention, such as calling the convention to order, receiving a report from the credentials committee and adopting the party platform.

“Tomorrow’s program will be business only and will refrain from any political rhetoric,” he said.

The convention will begin at its regularly scheduled time, 3 p.m. CT. Davis said the convention would adjourn around 5 or 5:30 PM.

The GOP’s four-day program was originally scheduled to begin Monday in St. Paul, Minnesota. Davis said the rest of the week would be determined on a day-by-day basis.

Earlier Sunday, Sen. John McCain said it wouldn't be appropriate to hold a political celebration during the storm.

"We must redirect our efforts from the really celebratory event of the nomination of president and vice president of our party to acting as all Americans," he said, adding that it was likely the event would change into a "call to the nation for action."

"I pledge that tomorrow night, and if necessary, throughout our convention … to act as Americans, not Republicans, because America needs us now no matter whether we are Republican or Democrat," he said.

Also on Sunday, the White House announced that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney would not be in attendance.

UPDATE: John McCain will attend some small events Monday in Pennsylvania, a senior aide tells CNN. The aide, though, notes that McCain doesn’t “have a really busy day” as he keeps a close eye on Hurricane Gustav.

The senior aide also said that the campaign has asked the state parties “to be all very respectful” given the situation and to help raise money for various relief agencies.

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The Ticker providing constant updates from St. Paul

ST. Paul, Minnesota (CNN) — Be sure to keep your Web browser pointed at The Political Ticker and refresh the page often.

From St. Paul, The Ticker team is providing a constant stream of updates on how Hurricane Gustav is affecting the Republican National Convention and the candidates on the campaign trail.

RELATED: Gustav prompts 'substantial' changes to RNC agenda

Politics was on display at the Minnesota state fair.

ST. PAUL (CNN) — This year's Minnesota State Fair attendees hoping to eat a Snickers on a stick or watch a cow give birth can do both those things and also register to vote.

With some form of the Republican convention as a backdrop, and the presidential election just over 60 days away, the Minnesota State Fair resembled a political rally Saturday with fair-goers sporting "McCain," "Obama," and "NObama" buttons as they perused the fair's myriad of fried offerings. Both state parties hosted booths where voters could pick up literature, chat with campaign representatives or just mingle with like-minded Minnesotans.

A giant poster of now vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin dominated the Minnesota GOP's white clapboard house that sat across from a buzzing crepe stand. "McCain's pick Sarah Palin governor of Alaska" was the hand scrawled caption on a clip board.

"It was a very big surprise," said Georgia from southern Minnesota of McCain's choice for number two. "She does bring the fact she is a woman to the ticket and she's got some experience having been involved as governor of Alaska." Georgia picked McCain at the fair's GOP straw poll last year.

"She's a woman she can learn fast," said Kathy from Bursville in response to critics who say Palin lacks experience. "I thought she could kick it."

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The convention is slated to start Monday.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) — The McCain campaign has arranged a charter flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday afternoon for delegates who wish to return to the Gulf Coast region ahead of Hurricane Gustav, CNN has learned.

Louisiana Republican State Party Chair Roger Villere Jr. tells CNN some Louisiana delegates have already departed while others plan to leave, though he could not give exact numbers.

The same plane will fly back to Minnesota if delegates have children or other family members they want to remove from the area.

“The McCain campaign has been extremely helpful," Villere said.

Black and Davis were spotted on the convention floor.

(CNN) — CNN spotted top McCain aides Charlie Black and Rick Davis on the convention floor Sunday afternoon, shortly before the campaign announces expected changes to the Republican convention.

Davis is McCain's campaign manger and Black is a senior adviser.

St. Paul, Minnesota (CNN) — The Republican National Committee and the McCain campaign will hold a 4 p.m. ET press conference to announce updated plans for the party's presidential convention, slated to start Monday.

Earlier Sunday, McCain said the convention would undergo significant changes.

Watch the press conference on CNN and CNN.com/live.

(CNN) — The Democratic National Committee has canceled its Sunday event welcoming members of the media covering the Republican National Convention.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families in the region," DNC spokesman Damien LaVera said.

Obama is mobilizing his campaign's supporters for hurricane aide.

LIMA, Ohio (CNN) — After attending church Sunday morning, Obama repeated his message to Gulf Coast residents to escape the wrath of Hurricane Gustav by evacuating, and said he would talk with officials to see if the campaign’s network of volunteers and donors can be used to help.

“There is enormous urgency in making sure that people take the evacuation seriously,” said Obama. “They are doing everything they can to execute an effective evacuation but we need people’s cooperation.”

“What we want to do is we want to find out first from folks on the ground what is going to be most helpful. We don’t want to solicit a bunch of canned goods that cant get there, or bottles of water and then learn that they already have water,” he later added. “So we are going to wait over the next 48 hours to find out what would be the most useful. I think we can get tons of volunteers to travel down there if it becomes necessary.”

“So it becomes a question of what people on the ground need and once we determine that then we can activate our email list of a couple of million people who want to give back,” he continued.

John McCain headed to the region on Saturday but Obama said he was hesitant to do the same because he was afraid of drawing away local law and emergency resources that are needed whenever he travels. McCain visited a command center in Mississippi where mandatory evacuation is not in effect and Obama said he thought it was ‘fine’ that the Arizona senator wanted to see the situation for himself.

Obama appeared more confident Saturday in preparations made for the storm than he had on Friday night, saying he had spoken to the head of FEMA who told him buses are ready to get people out, unlike when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

“There appears to be better coordination between the state and the city in Louisiana,” said Obama. “I haven’t spoken to folks in Mississippi or Alabama. It appears there is coordination between the four states that there wasn’t last time. So my hope is that we all learned from the terrible lesson that we saw after Katrina and Rita.”

Obama also called into local Gulf Coast media to further encourage listeners and viewers to evacuate, telling them that the country praying for them. He plans to speak with Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff later Sunday.

UPDATE: The campaign has posted information for Gulf Coast residents on its blog, as well as links to the Red Cross and Save the Children Web sites for supporters who want to donate.

The post tells visitors that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has declared a mandatory evacuation, gives the Louisiana emergency hotline number, and links to the state's Web site for any other emergency information needed. It also has a variety of links for Mississippi.

John McCain, with VP pick Sarah Palin, visit a hurricane command center on Sunday.

PEARL, Mississippi (CNN) — Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain told reporters Sunday there would be significant changes to the upcoming GOP convention, saying it would be inappropriate to hold a political celebration in light of the imminent arrival of Hurricane Gustav.

“We must redirect our efforts from the really celebratory event of the nomination of president and vice president of our party to acting as all Americans," said McCain.

The Arizona senator, who spoke after his tour of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency in Pearl, Mississippi, did not elaborate on what those changes might be, instead saying the campaign will release a statement in the next few hours.

McCain did say the convention would need to transition from a "party event" to a "call to the nation for action": "I pledge that tomorrow night, and if necessary, throughout our convention if necessary, to act as Americans not Republicans, because America needs us now no matter whether we are
Republican or Democrat.’’

John McCain says Sarah Palin has the 'right judgment' to be VP.

(CNN) — Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain on Sunday defended the experience level and judgment of his recently-chosen running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

The 44-year-old Palin is a first-term governor, and her previous political experience has been as a mayor and a council member in a small Alaska town.

This has spurred questions about her background that emerged as topics on Sunday news talk shows, particularly because Republicans have been criticizing the experience of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace cited McCain's characterization of Obama as being "dangerously unprepared to be president" and asked McCain whether Palin is "even more dangerously unprepared" regarding national security and foreign policy.

He said Palin "understands the challenges that we face."

"Oh, no.  Look, she has got the right judgment.  She has got the right judgment.  She doesn't think, like Senator Obama does, that Iran is a minor irritant," McCain said.

McCain said Palin knows the U.S. military effort in Iraq called the surge "worked and succeeded," while Obama "still to this day refuses to acknowledge that the surge has succeeded."

McCain cites her 12 years of "elected office experience" and her work as Alaska's governor.

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WASHINGTON (CNN) — Senator Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle became the latest prominent Democrats to slam John McCain's choice of a vice presidential running mate, both saying that the Arizona senator "buckled" to the extreme right.

Speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Sunday, Dodd called the selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin "the choice of Dobson, Robertson, and Limbaugh"-referring to Focus on the Family chairman James Dobson, televangelist Pat Robertson, and conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.

"This is a real sop to the extreme conservative elements of the Republican Party.  John McCain's knees buckled because he was fearful of what the extreme right was going to say about this ticket, that's what this comes down to," the former Democratic presidential candidate said on "Late Edition".

Shortly afterwards on the same program, Daschle voiced similar sentiments.

"The choice is somewhat mystifying to me, Wolf.  It's inexplicable. the only explanation to me is that he buckled, he knuckled under, to the extreme right-wing pressures that he was feeling these last several weeks."

Daschle called Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, the "perfect choice" for a woman vice presidential candidate, and Dodd ran off a list of Republican women whom he feels are more capable.

"I think of Elizabeth Dole, I think of Jodi Rell, the governor of Connecticut, I think of Kay Bailey Hutchison, I think of Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe. I can recite off the top of my head a number of Republican candidates, women, who are far more qualified, with all due respect to Sarah Palin," Dodd said.

On ABC's "This Week", Senator John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, said that McCain wanted to choose former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge or independent Senator Joe Lieberman, but that "Rush Limbaugh and the right-wing vetoed it."

Palin is being compared to Dick Cheney.

(CNN) – Presumptive Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin has been compared to past VP picks Dan Quayle and Geraldine Ferraro for her relatively low profile on the national stage, but now Democrats are likening the Alaskan governor to another running mate: Vice President Dick Cheney.

Speaking on ABC's "This Week" Sunday, Sen. John Kerry said Palin is a member of the "flat-earth caucus" and her stances on climate change are in lock-step with those of the vice president.

"With the choice of Governor Palin, it's now the third term of Dick Cheney, because what he's done is he's chosen somebody who actually doesn't believe that climate change is manmade," Kerry said.

Kerry also said Palin is "Cheney-esque" when it comes to her conservative stances on social issues.

Shortly before being named John McCain's running mate, Palin told the conservative magazine Newsmax she does not believe climate change is man-made — a statement that puts her at odds with the preumptive GOP nominee and the 2008 Republican platform.

"A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location," Palin told the magazine. "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made."

McCain has said addressing climate change is a top priority, and the Arizona senator backs implementing mandatory caps on carbon emissions if he is elected president. The 2008 Republican platform also includes the words "global warming" for the first time and refers to the effect of "increased atmospheric carbon."

Bush and Cheney are skipping the convention. Laura Bush will still attend.

(CNN) — President Bush and Vice President Cheney will skip the Republican Presidential Convention due to Hurricane Gustav, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino announced Sunday.

First Lady Laura Bush is still slated to attend.

Bush and Cheney were supposed to address the convention Monday evening.