MI, MN, WI: McCain leaves Michigan as Minnesota and Wisconsin become focal points
6:08 PM
The Politico's Jonathan Martin reports:
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.Meanwhile another Politico reporter, Mike Allen, says Minnesota and Wisconsin are two of McCain's three key targets now:
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. ... A McCain event planned for next week in Plymouth, Michigan, has been canceled.
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."
