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

[Wilburrr]

Many of us in Phoenix wish he would pull out of Arizona...

[profounddogs]

Didn't he do that a long time ago, locally (Arizona) anyway? I've heard some pretty bad things about McCain and how Arizonians really feel about him ... Sounds like he's done you guys wrong!

[ChiGuy]

Don't misread this. McCain's getting spanked out of the state.
Expect more of the same as his campaign fizzles all across the country.

[profounddogs]

... fade in ... fade out ...

[MalloMel]

This is a must view, and it speaks volumes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYMfdT00pcs

[Rule Of Law]

"McCain Pulling Out Of Michigan"

LOL

[KarateKid]

John McCain has done a lot of pulling out in his life.

[Js420]

Palins husband needs to start pulling out!

[DRaymond]

I don't think that McCain is going to flip Pennsylvania, so right now the McCain strategy basicly is not to lose a single state that Bush carried.

[genia]

Does not matter. They will be feeding her answers...­earpiece.
No doubt

[Crozier]

They did that for Bush in 00 and 04.

[devinsbuddy]

One down, 49 to go!

[johnnygoodwud]

'O' on defense? last i heard 'O' was out doing a paint job on a number of formerly red states, turning them blue.

[PartisanMan]

No that was his thugs painting his image on republican campaign headquarters.

[profounddogs]

Whatever.

[majorteddy]

We aint lettin' up either. I put my butt kickin' boots on to help him as he leaves the state.Good riddance!

[JenIA]

Hmm, cut and run from Michigan but spend 2 days in Iowa, followed by Missouri where the debate is...WTF? John, perhaps you meant to be one state north in MN and missed the exit--Iowa has Obama up 8-12 points and the advisers send him here. Wow.

[badscience]

This just in:

"A new CNN Poll of Polls suggests that the battle for Virginia and its 13 electoral votes is too close to call. In the latest average of the most recent state polls in Virginia, compiled Thursday, 48 percent of likely voters in the commonwealth are backing Barack Obama for president, with 47 percent supporting John McCain. Five percent of those questioned are undecided.­"

If I recall correctly, Virgina hasn't gone to a Democrat since 1964.

McCain is fighting for his life to hold on to the "battleground states" as some ofd the red states he counted on are slipping away (see NC, NV, IN, IA)

Take No Prisioners, O!

[Abycat]

More importantl­y....Warne­r's lead over Gilmore has people asking Gilmore 'What were you thinking? Will we see some 'Warner coattails'?

[borderpatrol]

HMM .. HEY MCCAIN DO YOU THINK YOUR LOSING MICHIGAN MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH YOU DURING THE PRIMARIES TELLING MICHIGANDERS THAT THEIR JOBS AREN'T COMING BACK..? DO YOU THINK THEY'RE STUPID AND WONT REMEMBER THIS?? .. I'M FROM MICHIGAN AND NOW LIVE IN OHIO (YUK) AND I KNEW MCCAIN WOULDN'T HAVE A CHANCE IN MICHIGAN BECAUSE MICHIGANDERS ARE WAY TOO SMART. OHIO IS ANOTHER STORY.. ALOT OF SIMPLE MINDED PEOPLE HERE . . GO MICHIGAN!! GO OBAMA!!

[topkatnc]

there is a piece witten by Tim Dickson in the rolling stone about mccain called Make Believe Maverick. This article should be on the front page in every newspaper. if you have time check it out. Obama/Biden 2008!!!!!!!!

[FoxyB]

Don't let the door hit your McAss on the way out.