Why today was a good day for Barack Obama.

Every day until the election, Slate will offer up one reason to be optimistic for your candidate.

20 days to go:

Most pundits agree that Obama pulled no punches at Tuesday night’s debate. The president had reason to be energized: On Tuesday the Supreme Court allowed early voting to continue in Ohio and rejected plans by the state’s Republican legislature to cancel voting the weekend before the election. In 2008, about 100,000 Ohioans voted over the pre-election weekend, and early voters tend to skew heavily Democratic. This year, at least two of the state’s most heavily Democratic counties are already turning out in force, giving Obama an early advantage in a critical state. If he can use his debate comeback to maintain this level of energy among the base, Obama may have Ohio in the bag before Election Day even arrives. 

See Mitt Romney’s earlier rays of hope.

See Barack Obama’s earlier rays of hope.