McCain pulls up stakes in Michigan and heads west

The decision by John McCain’s campaign to pull out of Michigan essentially means he’s ceding all 17 of the state’s electoral college votes to Barack Obama. But what’s it mean for us? In a note to the Huffington Post’s M.S. Bellows, Jr., a McCain representative said: the party is sending resources west.

“The RNC is shifting its focus to blue states like Minnesota and Wisconsin, where the McCain-Palin ticket’s commitment to reform will resonate with voters looking for leaders who will shake things up in Washington, rather than simply talk about change,” said GOP spokesperson Liz Mair.

Bellows says “the capitulation is a striking retrenchment,” given the GOP’s high hopes for Michigan. But while both Minnesota and Wisconsin have gone to Democrats each of the last four elections, the campaign must see hope in our slight-blue-leaning ways. Still, according to Real Clear Politics’ average of recent polls, Obama is still ahead of McCain by five percentage points.