John McCain’s campaign has an ambitious plan to transform blue states that went Democratic earlier this decade into red states.  McCain’s maverick stances — he hasn’t always been the darling of the conservatives — might give him to opening he needs to convince blue state voters to consider him for the presidency.

If McCain can appeal to Independent voters and the blue dog Reagan Democrats, he might be able to win in November — a feat the nobody would have predicted for the Republican party in early 2007 when it looked like the Democrats were coasting to an easy win.

Writes John Martin in “Maverick wants to paint blue states red“:

Though still very early in the planning stages, McCain aides have begun eyeing between 20 and 25 states that could be competitive, a list that includes some places that are anything but rock-ribbed conservative. Next month, they’ll make this case symbolically by sending the candidate on a different-kind-of-Republican tour into places where party members typically don’t tread.

By virtue of his maverick brand, nontraditional stances on key issues and his Western roots, McCain may be able to compete in states that were far out of reach for Bush and that have otherwise been trending away from Republicans. This potential, say McCain strategists and other Republicans, could amount to the GOP’s ace in the hole in an otherwise dismal political climate.

Technorati Tags: Election 2008, GOP, John McCain, Republican Party

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