AP: McCain raises $$$ in SC doubleheader, is endorsed by Greenville mayor, and is nonplussed by drop in polls
During his 3 PM news conference in between fundraisers in South Carolina, Senator McCain was nonplussed by the unfortunate drop in the polls which he has sustained recently. It was a day/night doubleheader of fundraisers, so to speak. Reportedly, 85 people attended the $500/head opener in the state capital of Columbia, so that would translate to about $42,500 grossed for the campaign, in a single afternoon (minus overhead, of course). To The Tower, that’s a pretty good haul for a few hours. The nightcap fundraiser, also $500/head, will be in Greenville.
Selected excerpts from the AP article:
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Monday dismissed polls that show him slipping into single digits, arguing that his campaign is going through the typical ups and downs and will be fine this fall.
In an interview with The Associated Press, the Arizona senator also defended his support for a bipartisan immigration bill, a stance that has undercut his bid in early voting South Carolina.
The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee acknowledged that his backing for the Iraq war has hurt his candidacy elsewhere in the country.
“I’ve got to do what’s right,” McCain told the AP. “In South Carolina, the war doesn’t hurt me as much as in other parts of the country. It has hurt my candidacy.”
McCain campaigned in South Carolina, which holds its GOP primary Feb. 2. He also raised money with Saturday’s second-quarter deadline fast approaching and picked up the endorsement of Greenville, S.C., Mayor Knox White.
McCain spoke at two $500-a-person fundraisers in South Carolina. About 85 people turned out for the first stop in Columbia, S.C., while the second fundraiser in Greenville was later Monday evening.
A recent state poll showed McCain at just 7 percent in the race with top rivals Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, and Fred Thompson close to announcing. A survey in Iowa also showed McCain in single digits.
“That poll is just not true,” McCain said in the interview, referring to the South Carolina poll. With “veterans alone, we are doing much better than that.”
In April, McCain overhauled his campaign operations after raising $12.5 million from January through March. That put him in third among Republicans, behind Romney and Giuliani. McCain didn’t indicate whether the overhaul has helped him raise more money. However, more staff adjustments could be in the offing.
“I am totally confident that we’ll have sufficient money to do what’s necessary to wage a winning campaign,” McCain said during a news conference…
Read the entire article here.
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