David Axelrod, senior strategist to the Democratic presidential nominee, said the campaign didn't expect a bump because the Republican convention begins just days after the Democratic convention concludes Thursday and "will mute whatever effect there is," The Hill reported.

"I think this is a close election," Axelrod told the Washington publication Thursday. "There's not a whole lot of play so you're not going to see wild swings in this election."

Axelrod and campaign manager David Plouffe said they saw polling numbers in recent days indicate Democrats who may have been reluctant to support Obama are rallying around the Illinois senator as they got to know Obama as the party nominating convention progressed.

"We could not be more thrilled about how they've gone," Plouffe said of the first three sessions. "I think coming out of here we're not just unified but our party is electrified."

Sen. John McCain of Arizona is poised to be nominated as the Republican nominee during the GOP convention Monday through Thursday in St. Paul, Minn.