Jim DeMint and Inez Tenenbaum traded in their RVs for airplanes Monday as both made a last-ditch effort to attract voters in their bid for the U.S. Senate.

Polls open at 7 a.m. today as both candidates seek to replace retiring Democrat Fritz Hollings.

DeMint’s day was delayed by fog as he and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tried to land in Columbia to pick up Gov. Mark Sanford. When the pair landed, they were joined by Sanford at a podium to address the media.

“The stakes are very high in this election,” Graham said.

DeMint, the Republican congressman from Greenville, appeared relaxed and at ease in a plaid shirt, blue blazer, gray slacks and shiny black shoes.

“We’re almost there!” DeMint said. “Let’s get folks out to vote, and it’s going to be a great day tomorrow.”

Asked what he planned to do Wednesday, after more than a year of campaigning, DeMint grinned. “I’m not telling anybody what I’m doing Wednesday. It won’t be raising money or campaigning.”

And with a smile and a wave, DeMint climbed into his plane for the trip to Rock Hill and another airport news conference.

Tenenbaum, the Democratic state education superintendent, made a noon stop at Fran’s, a Forest Acres meat-and-three restaurant, where she shook hands with customers and dined on baked chicken smothered in gravy.

Tenenbaum said while she might not be swaying voters this late in the game, she cannot take any for granted.

“We feel momentum breaking our way,” she said. “Our latest polls show it’s a dead heat.”

Chrystn Pitt, a USC graduate student who happened to be at Fran’s for lunch, said she’s voting for Tenenbaum.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been up close with a candidate before,” she said, “so it’s nice to see her make it personal.”

Even those voting for DeMint said they appreciated the visit.

“She makes a good impression,” said Jim Kitchens, a Columbia accountant. “She’s a very attractive candidate. It might be too late, though, because I’m voting for her opponent.”

One sentiment the lunch crowd at Fran’s seemed to share was relief that the campaign was finally coming to an end.

“We just keep flipping the channels because we can’t even watch the ads anymore,” Kitchens said.

Later in the day, Tenenbaum was greeted by volunteers and staffers at her Greenville campaign office.

“Inez! Inez!” they shouted.

“You’re the reason I’m going to win tomorrow,” she said, hugging volunteers.

“I feel upbeat,” she said. “We have tremendous momentum.”

DeMint was flanked by U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-S.C., and Sanford, as he arrived home for a final rally at TAC Air in Greenville.

Sanford told the crowd of about 50 supporters that he backs DeMint because of “his attention to taxpayers” and his desire to reform Washington.

Campaign volunteer Milton Shockley, a real estate broker in Greenville, supports DeMint “because of his integrity, because he’s a thinker and a doer.”

DeMint was feeling confident.

“It’s been a long, grueling race,” he said. “I feel real good about things.”