McCain Pulling Out Of Michigan

The Politico reports that John McCain's electoral map is getting smaller:

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.

Marc Ambinder adds:

A McCain adviser confirmed the news but noted that the Republican National Committee's independent expenditure arm is still running ads there, and that McCain will keep most of his staff in-state. McCain officials and Michigan Republican Party officials declined to comment. Weirdly, McCain's staff scheduled a surrogate conference call with Mitt Romney for this afternoon, perhaps assuming that their shift in advertising would not be noticed or reported. The McCain move was disclosed one day after auto manufacturers based in the state reported record revenue declines. Previously, McCain has argued that Obama's intention to raise taxes on the rich would further deepen Michigan's worst-in-the-nation recession.

The move away from Michigan reflects the abandonment of any pretense that McCain can spend freely to expand the map for Republicans this year, and it's a sign that the campaign recognizes how the past two weeks have erased nearly all of McCain's gains since August. Instead, McCain's playing defense in states like Florida, Virginia and North Carolina, although his advisers do not consider the latter state as close as public polling suggests.

The AP says that the RNC ads up in Michigan are not expected to continue either.

McCain's campaign discussed the move today, saying that the candidate now needs to win Pennsylvania, Wisconsin or Minnesota.

"We felt like being able to play in Michigan up to this point was an offensive move," a McCain aide said. "As we close down into Election Day, our map is going to become more targeted."

Recent polls have shown Obama opening up significant leads in every battleground state, a stunning shift.

Comments

[seal62]

Well John is leaving my state.Dont let the door hit ya in the arse on the way out.Take the funny talking muppett with ya too .

[CindyKay]

I agree , Nobody will miss Him.

Mi. has been hit too hard for too long. My Family came from Mi. and I still have tons of Relatives there ( so many in fact that We could be related ),

I hold Mi. Very Close to My Heart . Something needs to be done for Mi. Families Now.

[dollymarg]

when is mccain leaving michigan..­.he is still running ads here they are not RNC ones they are mccains...­.is this some sort of distraction, half truth or what????

[MIKEBC]

OBAMA = CHANGE WE NEED, MC CAIN = CHUMP CHANGE

[wot]

McCain is not giving up on Michigan. Only strategy left - meant to convince young and first-time voters, and maybe blacks too, that Obama will win, so they don't need to vote.

[bluzz]

Tell yourself whatever you like to get through the day. However, taking out your ads and staff is not a "Winning" strategy!

Free Jay-Z concert in Detroit on Saturday for Voter registration!

[LiarLiarIraqsOnFire]

He's out of Michigan because he has to spend time in Indiana - an historically solid Republican state. He's in a dead heat with Sen. Obama here in Indiana's 2nd district. Of course, just about everything south of Indy might as well be Northern Kentucky.

[SimonNZ]

Looks like McBush's campaign team is standing on the deck of the Titanic and everything seems fine to them......­..........

[Nonamnesiac]

If it's true that McCain is pulling out of Michigan and it's not some kind of tactic by McCain, it's very significant. Michigan, like Ohio and Pennsylvania is the home of huge numbers of "Reagan Democrats". These are the same people -- White union members -- who flocked to George Wallace in 1968 and 1972, were suckered into Nixon's Southern strategy and then became Reagan Democrats. Although still racist, they differ sharply from the Dixiecrat, however. They have come to realize two things that have moved them steadily back to the Democratic Party fold. One they realize it has been Republican Reaganomics policies that have destroyed their income potential , not affirmative action, as Republican anti-union policies have ended up in their, for the most part, not having their salaries keep up with inflation and, even worse, losing their jobs to workers from countries who treat their workers little better than slaves and pay their own workers next to nothing. Two they know that although they fought honorably in Vietnam, they don't want their kids in any similar battleground and see right through the warmongering of Bush and McCain and KNOW, from their Vietnam experience, that such wars are against the interests of the US and just end up getting Americans killed and maimed for nothing.

So, if McCain is pulling out of Michigan for real, he's going to have trouble in Ohio and Pennsylvania too.

[1differentdrummer]

So, Michigan 86'd John?

[Bavaricus]

And this is why the American electoral system is a joke and brutally honest at the same time.
You don't even have to pretend you care for the whole country and all its people. You just go to those few states you need to win.

[LiarLiarIraqsOnFire]

And look how well the 29 state strategy worked for the DLC Dems in the 90's. Sure the Dems took & held the White House, but they lost both houses of Congress and local & state Dems took a hosing too.

[Egalitare]

I predict he'll drop Wisconsin after the 2nd debate, and try to hang on to Pennsylvania for dear life.

He CANNOT concede Ohio, no matter how lousy the polling might get.

[FogBelter]

Obama supporters in Michigan ... DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!!!

Keep running this race to win all the way through November 4th ... don't take anything for granted. This could merely be a tactic. Keep a weary eye out for the voter roll purges and assume dirty tricks are afoot.

[NatteringNabobs]

This just in, McCian pulls out of American politics!

That ticket is sunk...he sealed his fate picking Palin...a pick that solidified the base. A base that was going to vote for him anyway.

BRILLIANT!

[TheNoBullExpress]

Michigan: You just won the Red, White & Blue jug. This is ones way bigger than Ohio State

[JessWonderin]

Go John!!! Only 50 more States to "quit" . . . save Cindy's money, Palin has shown the defect in the McCain mental processes . . .

[JulianJons]

I would love to see Florida blue for once! I am bracing for the avalanche of negative ads coming, since mac knows he will not win on substance.

[JulianJons]

If he stops buying so many expensive trips to Alaska or worse a private plane up there to bring the whole palin family including the Heaths, mama and papa, Levi etc they might save some money to run other things. Had he chosen Mitt this wouldnt be happening. I guess McCain thought sarah is worth the 3 Alaska points.