The McCain campaign is giving up on Michigan, the Detroit News reports. The Republican is pulling all ads, mail, and staff there to focus on more competitive states, a move that points to the difficulty the GOP faces in winning blue states. Michigan—which holds 17 electoral votes—was seen as a key battleground for McCain, but polls showed him slipping further and further behind.
"I have always said that the winds that drive presidential campaign decisions can shift and shift suddenly," said the state GOP chairman. "I have no doubt the campaign will be back." Others were less confident of that but said it made more sense to put resources into states such as Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania. (More Election 2008 stories.)