Woody Allen once said that 90 percent of life is just showing up, and that certainly appeared true for Barack Obama. Undoubtedly, more than just showing up was involved, but Obama compiled an estimable won-lost record in the counties and states he visited during the campaign's final month.

According to records kept by National Journal/NBC embedded reporter Athena Jones, from Oct. 4 through Nov. 3, Obama visited 45 counties in 12 states. These included 20 counties that President Bush won in 2004 -- including some, like Greene, Mo., centered on Springfield, that voted overwhelmingly Republican that year. Of the 12 states that Obama visited in October and early November, only Pennsylvania and New Hampshire voted for John Kerry four years ago.

The graphics below track the crowds Obama drew in these final appearances -- and his performance on Election Day in the Republican-tilting districts and states that loomed so prominently in his closing campaign schedule. As these charts and maps show, Obama improved on Kerry's performance in all but one of the red counties that he visited during the election's last lap. Obama also won most of those counties and, even more strikingly, won almost all of the red states on his itinerary. If the candidate's time is a campaign's most precious resource to invest, the Obama team received an impressive return on its investment.