March 10, 2008
Think Of Me, Think Of Me Fondly
John McCain heads to Exeter, NH, Wednesday to salute the Granite State, whose voters resuscitated his sputtering campaign in January. NH and McCain have had a longstanding bond -- voters gave the AZ senator a 19-point victory over George W. Bush in 2000 -- and in many ways the state and the candidate have similar profiles. Crusty, cantankerous, independent, often unpredictable. Additionally, 15% of the state's residents are vets.
Since the 2004 presidential election, NH has turned reliably blue, electing a Dem governor and turning both chambers of the legislature over to the Dems for the first time in a century. NH also voted narrowly for John Kerry over Bush. In 2006, the state's two incumbent GOP congressmen were sent packing, marking the final step in the state's political evolution.
But McCain's nom potentially puts NH in play again -- and he knows it. With a solid NH primary victory under his belt this year, and the Dems duking it out en route to a bruising battle in Denver, McCain is wise to head to the Granite State to remind voters there of their affection for him.
NH has just four electoral votes to offer in the general, but ask Al Gore, who lost the state by about 7K votes in 2000, if he could've used NH in his win column.
(JENNIFER SKALKA)
Posted at 11:31 AM
Comments
>>>But McCain's nom potentially puts NH in play again
Is there ANY kind of polling or reporting to verify this in any way, or is this just subjective opinion?
Please clarify.
Ethan | 03.10.08 12:29 PM
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You don't need polling, it's an obvious fact. He's the only non incumbent candidate to have won 2 New Hampshire primaries. He has intense crossover and indy appeal. He's going to give the Dem nom a run for his or her money there without question.
Sue | 03.10.08 12:53 PM
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I just smile when I read about how formidable John McCain is going to be in this election. These pundits seem to be overlooking some important facts:
Since FDR, only once - in 1988 - have the voters given three consecutive terms to the same party.
As the loss of Denny Hastert's seat demonstrates, the voters are already pretty fed up with the Republicans in general. And with the economy sliding into a recession, the won't be too eager to return the GOP to power in the fall.
McCain seems determined to run as George W. Bush's heir, at least on the issue of the extremely unpopular Iraq War. His dopey "100 years" statement is going to come back to haunt him, and so will all those photos of him hugging dear George. Hey John, Bush has a popularity rating of around 30%!
McCain is a mediocre, uninspiring speaker.
At 71, McCain would be the oldest man ever elected to a first term as president. There are lingering questions about his health that will only grow during the campaign.
The more McCain's record is examined, the more voters will be turned off. He's downright reactionary on women's reproductive rights, something that will hurt him in the fall.
Really, McCain has a huge mountain to climb. He reminds me of Bob Dole in 1996 - a cranky, old war hero without much charisma. I think the election will resemble 1996 too.
BobR | 03.10.08 06:45 PM
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Oh and I forgot to mention this - the GOP is hardly united behind McCain. The hard-core far-right is pretty unenthusiastic about him. They wanted Romney or Huckabee, and don't really consider McCain to be one of their own. I expect that many of them will stay home in November.
BobR | 03.10.08 06:52 PM
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