BRIDGETON - In his first Missouri stop since becoming the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain predicted Monday that the state and its voters will see a lot of him in the coming months.
"I intend to spend quite a bit of time here, (and) not just raising money," the Arizona senator told reporters gathered in an airplane hangar at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. "Missouri will be one ... of the important states in November."
McCain portrayed the state as a likely battleground between him and the Democratic nominee, a title that Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are fiercely competing to claim.
McCain's visit here meshed money with message.
On Monday night, he appeared at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac hotel for a $1,000-per-person campaign fundraiser co-hosted by many of the region's wealthiest families, including the Busches (Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc.), the Taylors (Enterprise Rent-A-Car) and the Foxes (Harbour Group).
This morning, McCain is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting with employees at Savvis Inc., a company in west St. Louis County.
Today's event is expected to give McCain an opportunity to showcase his campaign message on several fronts, from the fight against terrorism to improving the economy.
At Monday's news conference, McCain called on the House to pass an extension of changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and reaffirmed his praise for the current military approach in Iraq.
He also defended his credentials on the economy, which Democrats and other critics have portrayed as weak. "Americans are hurting now, all of us know that," McCain said.
He emphasized his support for the economic stimulus package that recently passed Congress and for making permanent the tax cuts approved in 2001, shortly after President George W. Bush took office.
Overall, McCain said, his economic approach reflects "a conservative record, and one I'm proud of. ..."
Several dozen local union activists waved pickets outside the Frontenac hotel to register their disagreement. "He sounds like 'Bush 3,'" said Herb Johnson, secretary-treasurer of the Missouri AFL-CIO.
When asked about his feelings toward the protest, McCain replied, "It's a free country."
McCain's St. Louis County visit is part of a fundraising tour that will include stops this week in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Next week, he heads overseas for a visit to Europe and the Middle East that also will include a stop in Iraq. McCain divulged the trip despite security concerns from the Pentagon.
Upon his return to the U.S., he plans a major foreign policy address, followed by a tour taking him to important sites in his personal biography.
Among the expected stops: McCain Field in Mississippi, a Navy facility named for his grandfather, a former admiral; Jacksonville, Fla., where McCain returned from his time as a Vietnam prisoner of war and commanded the largest flight squadron in the Navy; and Alexandria, Va., and Annapolis, Md., where he went to high school and then the Naval Academy.
That tour is expected to be followed by a trip aimed at outlining McCain's positions on issues such as the economy and the environment, as well as his concern for less-affluent areas of the country, such as Appalachia.
"Whenever you're the nominee of your party, I think people will want
to re-examine the candidate," McCain said. "I'd like to believe that all 300
million Americans know me, but unfortunately, that's not the case. I'll have to
work hard to attract their votes."
Before arriving in St. Louis, McCain, 71, sought to dispel any concerns about his health. He reported that he had gotten a clean bill of health during a checkup Monday morning. He also said his skin cancer has not recurred.
Fundraising is fundamental to his campaign, because McCain has far less money than both of his potential Democratic opponents. Clinton has more than doubled McCain's donations; Obama has nearly tripled the Arizona senator's total.
Obama raised $55 million in February alone, while Clinton collected $35 million. McCain has not yet released his February totals.
Obama and Clinton also far exceed him in cash on hand.
As of Jan. 31, Obama, a senator from Illinois, had raised $141 million, with $25 million cash on hand; Clinton, a senator from New York and former first lady, had raised $138 million and had $29 million cash on hand.
By contrast, McCain has raised $55 million and had $5.2 million cash on hand at the end of January.
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