McCain's path to victory
starts in New Hampshire
By Lee Bandy
SouthCarolina Insider
(12/28/07) John McCain essentially has a one-state strategy in
his quest for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.
He must win New Hampshire – or kiss it all good-bye.
During a meeting with The State editorial board this summer, at
the low point of his campaign, the U.S. senator from Arizona was
asked about New Hampshire and he said, “I have to win it.”
On Jan.8 - the day of the nation’s first primary - McCain
will have that chance.
In the past two months, the 71-year old senator has had a remarkable
comeback for a veteran politician, thus opening another intriguing
narrative in the wide-open Republican field.
“I’m pleased,” said Richard Quinn, a Columbia-based
consultant to the McCain campaign. “I always had hope and
believed he’d stage a comeback.”
“It has been incredible.”
McCain had been left for dead politically this summer. Most pundits
had written him off. Some still do.
But the senator has surged back into a strong second place in New
Hampshire behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, throwing
a scare into the ex- governor’s campaign.
The change has forced Romney to return to the New England state
to shore up his sagging poll numbers.
McCain and Romney traded angry, long-distance insults, bringing
a quick end to the nice-sounding Christmas messages that GOP hopefuls
offered last week.
While McCain sought to break out of the pack, his rivals also looked
to gain some steam in the remaining days of the early voting in
Iowa and New Hampshire.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani sought to re-establish his
credentials as a leader by reminding voters of the role he played
after New York was attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001.
Giuliani’s decision to by-pass the early contests in Iowa,
New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina and concentrate on Florida,
which conducts its primary on Jan. 29, has many experts scratching
their heads.
How can any candidate hope to kick off a national campaign after
suffering four, and perhaps, five straight losses, which would be
the case if Giuliani sticks with his plan to by-pass the early contests.
Former U. S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee spent the week traversing
Iowa on a bus hoping to revitalize his lackluster campaign.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the overall front-runner, sought
to broaden his appeal beyond the church pews by hunting pheasants
on the Lord’s day. He bagged a bird while reporters watched.
McCain, meanwhile, let the states leading newspapers do the talking
for him. They singled him out as the “best choice” among
Republican candidates.
McCain returned to New Hampshire on Friday to put the finishing
touches on a major offensive to overtake Romney and put the senator
on a clear path toward winning the nomination.
McCain campaign manager Rick Davis mapped a path to victory in
a recent e-mail to supporters.
It calls for a “strong finish” in Iowa, winning the
“top spot” in New Hampshire, a “well positioned”
showing in Michigan, and capturing South Carolina in the process.
A word of caution about South Carolina. It’s not in the bag
yet for McCain. Most recent polls have him in third or fourth.
No Republican has ever won the party’s nomination without
first winning the S.C. primary. |
