Battle for the West: McCain Still Fights for CO, Endorsement Tallies

Sen. John McCain at a campaign rally in Colorado earlier this month (Getty Images)

John McCain Fights For Colorado

McCain operatives say rumors of their candidate’s departure from the Centennial State are greatly exaggerated. CNN’s John King reported on Monday that GOP strategists were massaging the math looking for a path to the White House that didn’t include Colorado. One unnamed source said the state was “gone,” while the on-the-record pronouncement from a McCain spokeswoman suggested the campaign is still “within striking distance” in Colorado and other battleground states. (Two state polls conducted in the last week came back with identical numbers; Barack Obama has majority support and a 5 point advantage over McCain, 51 to 46 percent.)

“John McCain is fighting to win Colorado. Just look at where the campaign is sending the candidates,” said Christian Ferry, deputy campaign manager for McCain, in today’s Denver Post.

Sarah Palin made three stops in Colorado on Monday, where she continued her attacks on Barack Obama and urged supporters to vote early. Outside one of the rallies, Todd Palin told a crowd, “Get all your fishing buddies and hunting buddies to vote.”

Given that her trip included a much criticized interview with a local station where the Alaska governor incorrectly stated the vice president is “in charge of the U.S. Senate,” perhaps tracking where the VP candidate gets sent isn’t the best gauge of where the McCain campaign hopes to win as she tends to leave a trail of gaffes in her wake. In her defense, a spokeswoman for the governor suggested Palin knows the role of the veep but was merely answering in a way understandable to the questioner, a third grader.

McCain is scheduled to make three stops in Colorado on Friday.

And though sources say the McCain campaign is “reconfiguring their advertising buys in Colorado,” the RNC continues to spend heavily in Colorado and other swing states.

“How can anyone say we’re going anywhere? We’re spending a boatload of money in Colorado,” said Frank Donatelli, the RNC’s deputy chairman, in the Post.

Newspaper Endorsements

At least 26 newspapers who endorsed George W. Bush in 2004 are endorsing Obama this year, including two papers in Battle for the West states, according to Editor & Publisher. No papers in Battle for the West states that endorsed John Kerry have endorsed McCain. The Denver Post and Las Cruces Sun-News both endorsed the Illinois senator in the past week. Excerpts below.

Denver Post:

In unsteady times, it may seem obvious to gravitate toward the veteran politician, but in this campaign, it’s been the newcomer who has had the steady hand… Obama’s [economic] plan, while not perfect, is far superior to McCain’s catastrophic ideas… Republicans love to mock Obama’s history as a community organizer. But here was a man with no money to offer, no patronage to dispense, no way to punish his opponents. All he could do was to work with people from all walks of life, liberals and conservatives, business people and the unemployed, and bring them together in common cause for a better community. Could there really be better preparation to reunite a worried and divided America to again pursue our “more perfect union”?

Las Cruces Sun-News:

Like many Americans, we would feel more comfortable with the Democratic nominee if we knew him a little better; if he had been on the national scene a little longer; if his résumé had been filled out a little more. But, we also share the belief of most Americans that our country is heading in the wrong direction and is in dire need of fundamental change…McCain is offering a tweak or a minor adjustment to current policy, when what is needed is an overhaul…While Obama’s résumé may be thin, his talents and abilities are anything but… He has demonstrated steady leadership and a keen intellect at a time when those qualities are most needed.

Editor & Publisher tracks all newspaper endorsements, and as of this writing Obama leads 124 to 46. Circulation figures of the respective papers stand at 13,774,039 to 3,926,478.

Below are the newspaper endorsements in Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico, along with each paper’s circulation, per Editor & Publisher. Links to endorsements provided, where available.

Endorsing Obama:

COLORADO
Aspen Daily News: 12,500
The Aurora Sentinel: 46,000
Boulder Camera: 28,994
Cortez Journal: 6,700
The Denver Post: 225,193
The Durango Herald: 8,870
Gunnison Country Times: 4,000
Ouray County Plaindealer: 3,000

NEVADA
Las Vegas Sun: 174,341

NEW MEXICO
Las Cruces Sun-News: 21,341
Santa Fe New Mexican: 25,249