McCain's Ground Game Lacking?

clipped from customwire.ap.org Months after Republican John McCain became his party's presumptive nominee, he had no paid staff or offices open until Monday in Wisconsin, a state that barely went Democratic in 2000 and 2004 and is up for grabs this year. McCain's ability to attract independent voters, who likely will decide who carries the state, puts him in a good position to be the first Republican to win Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan. But without any visible signs of a campaign for months, Wisconsin Republicans privately wondered about McCain's strategy. McCain has faced similar criticism in other states where frustrated aides and supporters questioned whether the campaign squandered its three-month head start while the Democratic primary continued.

While I don't agree that McCain's "in a good position to be the first Republican to win Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan," the rest seems pretty solid and shows that Team McCain is letting grass grow under their feet. A bad idea.

Although the two candidates weren't running against each other in the primary, the numbers suggest McCain's support among cheeseheads is weak. NYT reported that Obama got 646,851 votes in Wisconsin, while McCain only scored 224,755.