Some Republicans say they also are troubled that the McCain campaign has not been faster to build a get-out-the-vote operation in Ohio, which as in past years is expected to be a key battleground. These Republicans, who have a close-up view of events, worry that McCain will be overpowered by Obama's proven ability to motivate activists.
"I'm going to be very honest with everyone in this room," said Alex Triantafilou, Hamilton County GOP chairman, as he threw his hands in the air during a speech last week at a Republican club dinner in suburban Cincinnati. "We are a little bit frustrated with the ability of the McCain campaign to get going."
This time four years ago, Triantafilou recalled, he had taken leave from his county government job to work full time for President Bush's re-election. "By June 1, we were humping hard on the presidential campaign," he said. While waiting for the McCain team, the county party has launched a voter registration drive of its own.
Volunteers such as Triantafilou were crucial to the Republicans' 2004 strategy, which entailed sorting through voting histories, church affiliation data and consumer information - such as magazine subscriptions and grocery store purchases - to identify millions of potential new conservative supporters. Then, volunteers would visit or call these people and urge them to vote.
Many political analysts say the strategy played a large role in Bush's re-election. Bush won Ohio, for example, by about 120,000 votes - roughly equal to the combined margins of victory in the GOP-leaning communities around Cincinnati, where the voter-identification plan was used heavily.
This time, Republican officials say, they are preparing to use these so-called "data mining" techniques to reach voters, but will point it at an additional segment of the electorate: the independent and swing voters that Obama also is targeting.
For McCain, the challenge is to win enough of these voters to make up for a potential lack of passion among conservatives, and he is betting that his image as an independent and moderate views on issues such as global warming will help. McCain is positioned to "find a new layer of voters. ... that's probably not available to the average Republican," said Mike DuHaime, a McCain campaign adviser.
The net that Republican officials are casting for potential supporters is wider than in the past. Party leaders in recent weeks have met with evangelicals, hunters, blacks and Hispanics, as in the past. But they have even started conversations with representatives from the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
"These meetings have been fascinating," said Ohio GOP spokesman John McClelland, "and we're getting new views."
And Republican officials say in recent days they have begun installing state and regional directors, and that offices are beginning to be opened this month in Ohio and other battlegrounds.
But as both campaigns aim for voters in the less ideologically driven center, McCain might have the tougher challenge in retaining voters in his party's base at the same time.
Burress said he would vote for McCain5.
But he will not work directly for the Republican candidate, and he suspects that many conservatives will stay home on election day.
Peter Wallsten writes for the Los Angeles Times.
