John McCain pulled his campaign out of Michigan yesterday. Politico reports:
McCain will go off TV in Michigan, stop dropping mail there and send most of his staff to more competitive states, including Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida. Wisconsin went for Kerry in 2004, Ohio and Florida for Bush.
With Michigan out of play for McCain, his campaign now says that it must win Minnesota, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin to win. Again from Politico:
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) now must win Pennsylvania, Wisconsin or Minnesota in order to get enough electoral votes to win the presidency, his campaign says.
Those were considered swing states in 2000 and 2004, but George W. Bush lost them both times.
“Our ability to pick off one of those three states is where our fortunes are largely held,” a McCain official said. “These are states where Barack Obama is on the defense.”
McCain’s political director, Mike DuHaime, told reporters on a conference call three hours before debate time that the campaign plans an “aggressive” front in Maine, a solidly Democratic state that gets virtually no attention in presidential races.
The sudden attention to Maine, which is getting some of the staff McCain is moving out of Michigan, reflects what a squeaker McCain expects.
