US President George W. Bush and Democratic Challenger John Kerry started their third and final presidential debate Wednesday night, the last chance for them to reach out to millions of undecided voters just 20 days before the Nov. 2 election.

The stakes were high for both candidates as polls after the two previous debates suggested the candidates were in a dead heat in the race for the White House.

The 90-minute debate in Tempe, Arizona, which started at 9 PM EST (01:00 GMT), is the only one devoted to domestic issues such as jobs, health care and Social Security.

(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2004)