Is John McCain Worried About South Dakota?

by Jonathan Singer, Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 05:13:39 PM EDT

Gallup polling released last week showed that while Barack Obama is not dominating in the purple states -- he leads John McCain by a mere 45 percent to 43 percent margin in the most competitive swing areas of the country -- Obama is performing remarkably well in the red states. Specifically, in the states that George W. Bush carried by a 6 percentage point margin or greater in 2004, Obama trails by a narrow 46 percent to 43 percent margin.

Case in point: South Dakota. Rasmussen Reports polling out of the state last month showed Obama within 4 points of McCain -- 44 percent for the Republican, 40 percent for the Democrat. Don't believe the numbers? Don't believe it's close? McCain apparently does, campaigning today in South Dakota. Here are First Read's thoughts:

*** Easy Rider? McCain should feel at home today in Sturgis, SD, where motorcycle enthusiasts from all over will be hanging out. But this visit may not be about appealing to Harley voters -- but voters actually living in the Dakotas. Of the red states where Obama has been spending money, the one where he's had the most impact is clearly North Dakota. In fact, Obama's been polling so well in that state, there is speculation the campaign may add neighbor South Dakota to its target list. The McCain camp knows Obama's been gaining some ground in the region, so this event seemed like a way to at least get some local coverage in the Dakotas and see if they can easily snap these states back into the Red column like some in the GOP believe.

Does this mean that South Dakota is necessarily in play? It doesn't appear that the Obama campaign is advertising in the state in a serious basis just yet. At the same time, it does look like the state is potentially in play -- and Obama is advertising in the neighboring states of Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa, some of which just might bleed into South Dakota. So this just might be another one to keep an eye on...

Tags: SD-Pres, South Dakota, White House 2008 (all tags)

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6 Comments

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Re: Is John McCain Worried About South Dakota?

Score one for a Tom Daschle pick.

by Bob Beard 2008-08-04 05:21PM | 0 recs
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Is it just me?

Or is the fact that McCain is attending Sturgis stink to high heaven of both pandering and gracing a very questionable event (in terms of good ol' boy misogyny, decorum, respect for Native territory, and various lower level lawbreaking) with the presence of a Presidential candidate?

On second thought, McCain's probably a hero to them, he married into the Anheuser-Busch family. Welcome to your base, McCain.

by upstate girl 2008-08-04 05:46PM | 0 recs
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Re: Is John McCain Worried About South Dakota?

The fact that Hillary Carried SD during the primary should dictate the political direction of SD.  

by nzubechukwu 2008-08-04 07:59PM | 0 recs
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McCain: at SD Biker Convention

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition /asection/la-na-mccain5-2008aug05,0,5460 366.story

August 5 2008

   

EXCERPT

   Suffice it to say that few political rallies can match John McCain's brief appearance on an outdoor stage Monday night before several thousand bikers at the 68th annual Sturgis Rally, America's largest biker convention and arguably its most colorful national gathering.

   Rather than applause, McCain was greeted again and again by the full-throated roar of scores of gleaming Harley-Davidsons of every shape and color. The stench of burning gasoline and rowdy shouts filled the prairie night air.

   It was almost as if McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was a celebrity -- a dirty word in his lexicon since his campaign last week ran ads mocking rival Barack Obama for his celebrity status, comparing him to Britney Spears.

   Taking the stage at Buffalo Chip, the main festival site, McCain again ridiculed the presumptive Democratic nominee for drawing "hundreds of thousands" of people to an outdoor speech in Berlin.

   Exaggerating his own reception by a considerable factor, McCain boasted, "I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day."

   As dozens of engines revved again, he grinned. "I recognize that sound. It's the sound of freedom."

   The Arizona senator introduced his wife, Cindy, who wore the equivalent of a nun's habit here: black jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. She praised her husband as "the only man who can keep us free."

   McCain joked that he had encouraged his wife to enter the annual Sturgis beauty contest, one in which nudity is not uncommon. The engines roared again.

   "I told her with a little luck she could be the only lady to serve as first lady and Miss Buffalo Chip," he said with a broad grin.


by dearreader 2008-08-05 04:14AM | 0 recs
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Re: Is John McCain Worried About South Dakota?

Obama got killed in the South Dakota primary 2 months ago.  HIllary creamed him.  McCain will win this state.  Keep dreaming.

by karajan72 2008-08-05 06:51AM | 0 recs
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Re: Is John McCain Worried About South Dakota?

Most people at Sturgis aren't SD voters.  Sturgis is a national event and, as was said upthread, attracts a certain cultural group that's more in line with the South.  That was a base visit.

by dday 2008-08-05 04:18PM | 0 recs

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