AP reports that McCain is abandoning campaign efforts in Michigan. He is removing staff, limiting advertising, and canceling visits. Ohio, Wisconsin, and Florida have taken precedence as states that are more likely to go to McCain on November 4. Barack Obama held his third event in Michigan in the past five days at Michigan State University, and did not reveal that he was at all aware of McCain's decision.
Earlier, a local news station reported that McCain canceled a trip to the state next week without explanation. Then, Democrats and Republicans who track the campaign's advertising said the Republican did not buy airtime for Michigan for next week, though he did so for every other state where he's been on the air. And, there was no indication that the Republican National Committee would continue running ads there either.
The McCain campaign originally targeted Michigan because of Obama's mediocre performance with white working class voters, but Obama is considered better qualified to help the economy and McCain is still tied to Bush in many people's minds. It has proven a situation that is not worth the resources for McCain; he was spending $1 million a week there. One thing is for sure, though, he did drive Obama to spend considerable resources in the state, make several visits and maintaining extensive staffed offices. In the final stretch of the election, both candidates are narrowing their focus as much as they can. Despite a 50-state strategy, Obama has also pulled his campaign from Alaska, Georgia, and North Dakota.
It will be interesting to see how Michigan voters respond to this change, and how the Obama campaign adjusts its presence in Michigan accordingly. Will they minimize their presence, too? Obama has yet to hint that he is aware of the change, although it is without doubt that the campaign is already planning a response.
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