December 14, 2007
Article Excerpt
MANCHESTER, N.H. - As his Republican rivals lock horns in Iowa, Sen. John McCain seems so little concerned with the state's caucuses that during a debate there Wednesday that he mentioned he opposes ethanol subsidies, the federal payments beloved of Midwestern corn growers.
McCain's make-or-break state is New Hampshire, where he vows he will win the state's first-in-the nation primary Jan. 8. Recently, it has looked a bit more likely he could do it.
"He's had a very good month," says New Hampshire GOP strategist Dan Carney, who is not affiliated with a campaign.
The Union Leader, the state's staunchly conservative and largest newspaper, endorsed McCain on Dec. 2, calling him "the most trustworthy, competent and conservative of all those seeking the nomination."
Last week, McCain campaigned with every candidate's new must-have accessory: a celebrity endorser.
Curt Schilling, pitching star for the world champion Boston Red Sox, drew 300 people to a Manchester school when he appeared with McCain on Dec. 5.
In recent state polls, support for McCain has crept upward.
Though he still trails former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney by double digits, he has moved into second place, either alone or tied with former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.
"He's got a core of support that has stuck with him all the way through," says Fergus Cullen, state GOP chairman, who is neutral in the primary campaign.
New TV ads feature both the newspaper and the ace endorsements.
McCain is being outspent almost 2-to-1 by Giuliani and even more than that by Romney, according to Graniteprof, a blog from University of New Hampshire political scientist Dante Scala. Like McCain, Romney has focused on campaigning in the state: He's spent 28 days there vs. McCain's 37.
McCain's campaign aides say he is gaining momentum. "We're trending upward, and it doesn't matter why," says Mike Dennehy, McCain's national political director, who ran his successful New Hampshire campaign in 2000.
Voters' response to McCain has suddenly become energized, Dennehy says: "It was like a switch was flipped. Now they're coming up to him and saying, 'You've got my vote.' That was the first time I'd seen that all year long."
Cullen calls the Union Leader endorsement "the Good Housekeeping seal of approval for conservatives."
In 2000, McCain's message was focused on government overhauls and asking people to pledge to a cause larger than themselves.
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