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    BREAKING: McCain pulls out of Michigan

    By Michael Wolraich on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 3:16pm | Politics

    Politico: John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play.

     

    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.

    McCain's campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Republicans had been bullish on Michigan, hopeful that McCain's past success in the state in the 2000 primary combined with voter dissatisfaction with Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and skepticism among blue-collar voters about Barack Obama could make it competitive.

    McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin spent the night after the GOP convention at a large rally in Macomb County, just outside Detroit.  The two returned later last month for another sizable event in Grand Rapids.

    But recent polls there have shown Obama extending what had been a small lead, with the economic crisis damaging an already sagging GOP brand in a state whose economy is in tatters.

    A McCain event planned for next week in Plymouth, Michiigan, has been canceled.

    Michigan has been leaning Obama all summer, but this decision, if confirmed, is concrete evidence that the economic crisis (and McCain's mishandling of it) is forcing the McCain campaign into triage mode.

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    Comments

    The stunning thing here about McCain conceding MI to Obama is that it essentially gives Obama 260 EVs worth of "safe" states. I guess McCain thinks that WI and MN are still in play, but I find that very, very hard to believe. Essentially, if McCain does not win every single remaining swing state, he loses. But he's on defense in every single one of those states. Things just look absolutely dreadful for McCain. And if I were him, I'd be scared as hell.


    by ChronoSpark on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 5:47pm

    Warm welcome, Chrono. Honestly, I don't think that there was a serious risk of Obama losing MI, so the dynamic hasn't actually changed b/c of that. But he's sucking air in a bunch of other states where he used to be on top - FL, OH, VA, even NC isn't guaranteed. And in addition to winning all those, he has to steal one of the Obama leaning swing states, PA, CO, NM, or NH, which is looking more and more difficult. MI used to be among those that he could possibly steal, but now it's down to 4.


    by Michael Wolraich on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 6:17pm

    My concern:  Obama is peaking too early. 

    Let's see how Senator Windbag does against Governor Know Nothing tonight.

    ...Looking for an October surprise.  I expect the Rovian party will try something kind of like they did to Harold Ford Jr a few years ago.


    by gary on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 8:28pm

    I don't know if there's such a thing as peaking too early in this game, but I agree with you that there will be more ups-and-downs before this is over.


    by Michael Wolraich on Fri, 10/03/2008 - 1:22pm