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McCain Won't Concede CA To Democrats
Posted: Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Contact: Hector Barajas
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McCain Won't Concede CA To Democrats
The Arizona Republic
Dan Nowicki
Apr. 30, 2008
John McCain is boldly promising to mount the most serious Republican presidential campaign for California in years as part of a strategy that targets the entire Democratic-leaning West Coast.
California, the state with 55 prized electoral votes, once upon a time was the home base of President Reagan, one of McCain's GOP heroes. But Republicans haven't carried the state in a presidential race or won a Senate seat since 1988.
And, with an increasingly influential Latino population, California is central to any Democratic plan to capture 270 electoral votes and retake the White House.
Despite traditionally tough odds, McCain is planning "to travel the state extensively" and compete hard in the Golden State.
"There are 53 or 55 electoral votes in California. It cannot be written off again," McCain said Friday. "I think Gov. (Arnold) Schwarzenegger has proven to anybody's satisfaction that you can, as a Republican, have differing views and win that state. I think it's a very important one, and so I will look forward to campaigning there."
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McCain considers his status as a Westerner and his intimate familiarity with important regional issues - land, water and the environment among them - a key advantage.
"What happens is you target states early, you go work them, and when you get to the fall, some states drop off the list," said Charlie Black, a senior McCain strategist. "But we're really going to go hard on the West Coast in California, Oregon and Washington."
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Of all the candidates who sought the Republican nomination, only McCain could have a shot in California, said Kareem Crayton, an assistant professor of law and political science at the University of Southern California. McCain won California's GOP primary.
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Black predicted McCain will make a strong case with California's Hispanic, Asian-American and "classic" independent voters.
"If we can get organized and be as strong in the Hispanic community as we think we can, then we can be competitive there," Black said.
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To Read Entire Article: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0430mccain-strategy0430.html
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