Jonathan Martin of the Politico is reporting that the McCain campaign is pulling out of Michigan.
This is pretty huge news. That's a battleground state with 17 electoral votes -- a big prize. If McCain isn't going to compete there, he's going to have carry all of these other battleground states: Florida, Ohio, Virginia, New Hampshire, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. That's assuming he can't flip any other blue states. Obviously, if he can win, say, Minnesota or especially Pennsylvania, the math changes. But Obama seems to be solidifying leads now in the blue states. McCain would have to draw an inside straight. Go here and toggle around to see what I mean.
Standard caveat: We're a month away and a lot can happen. But I don't really understand giving up on so important a state at this point. It must say something not only about what his team thinks his chances are there, but also about the financial state of his campaign.
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