October 31st, 2008
01:38 PM ET
14 years ago

McCain campaign predicts 'one of the greatest comebacks'

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/10/31/rickdavis.jpg caption="Rick Davis says McCain is closing gaps in the polls."]

(CNN) - As late polls continue to shows Barack Obama with an edge over John McCain in key battleground states, the Arizona senator’s campaign manager told reporters Friday the Republican nominee had momentum heading into the race’s closing days.

"We fight back," campaign manager Rick Davis said on a conference call, echoing McCain’s recent stump speech. "And we are witnessing, I believe, probably one of the greatest comebacks since John McCain won the primaries."

The latest CNN national poll of polls shows that Senator Barack Obama is at 50 per cent to McCain's 43 per cent, with 7 percent undecided. But Davis said surveys are irrelevant in the race’s homstretch.

"Guess what? Polling isn't accumulative," he said. "It's whatever it is today, and we see a very, very tight race today, so it really doesn't matter where it was ten days ago."

Davis claims that the campaign is beating back the perception that Obama is better suited to handling the financial crisis.

"One thing that is clear is that we've established a momentum; we've increased our gains in virtually every one of the battleground states throughout the course of the week," Davis said. "We've had probably the best 10 days of polling since the convention. We think we've shaken off the effects of the financial collapse that suppressed our numbers prior to the last debate."

Some CNN analysts see a different story.

"Obama's lead in most of the battleground states appears to be holding steady at this point," said CNN Senior Political Researcher Alan Silverleib. "If McCain can't close the gap over the weekend in states like Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio, there is no way for him to reach 270 electoral votes on Election Night."

And the McCain campaign is pushing its ground and advertising efforts as hard as possible in those states, pouring additional resources into advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts in battleground states like New Hampshire and Ohio.

"We're banking on a very close race," said Davis. "I mean we think this is going to be a tight electoral college year. We think this is going to be a tight popular vote year. There's no indications otherwise today."

And he responded to Obama campaign manager David Plouffe’s morning announcement that the Democratic nominee was going on the air in McCain’s home state of Arizona, and back on the airwaves in traditional GOP strongholds like North Dakota and Georgia.

"We encourage them to please pick other states that we intend to win, to spend their campaign cash and spread it out as much as they can," said Davis.


Filed under: John McCain
soundoff (331 Responses)
  1. ez

    I predicted that I wanted to vote for the Democrats for the first time. Guess what? I did.

    Registered Republican "voted" Obama/Biden 08

    October 31, 2008 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |
  2. Nimi from NY

    The only way it could happen is if you steal it. And it's not far fetched. Otherwise it's a wishful thinking to think that McCain will win this election.

    October 31, 2008 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |
  3. Jane in CA

    Yeah right, and I'm the Queen of England!!!

    VOTE FOR CHANGE! !
    Go Obama

    October 31, 2008 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |
  4. Jakedasnake

    Aerosmith said it best, "dream on, dream on, dream on."

    GOP reasoning, if you keep repeating something, it will happen! 😉

    October 31, 2008 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |
  5. Enlightened Voter

    More lies from the rethuglicans! mccain will lose a crushing well deserved defeat and hopefully i will never see your snobbish face again!
    mccain/palin = clueless pathological liars!

    October 31, 2008 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |
  6. Sam SixPack

    We've got those Republicans on the run!

    Just look at them scurry away like rats with all their obscene wealth in their greedy little paws!

    We don’t need their lousy demeaning jobs. We will soon live in dignity – on our tax refunds.

    October 31, 2008 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |
  7. krister

    polling my not be cumulative, but early voting is. sorry, mccain.

    October 31, 2008 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |
  8. Lu

    Get out and vote!

    Obama/Biden '08

    October 31, 2008 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |
  9. Ryan

    This is exactly the kind of rhetoric you hear out of campaigns right before they lose hard.

    October 31, 2008 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |
  10. TjayeInLA

    Sounds like they have a plan. If California turns red, we know they found a new state to steal.

    October 31, 2008 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |
  11. Bill

    Obama: "A woman shouldn't have to suffer the rest of her life for a mistake she made when she was young."

    Mr. Obama, then you are lucky to be here today. You do not understand the value of a human life.

    You have sealed my vote for McCain.

    October 31, 2008 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |
  12. Liberated!

    "We encourage them to please pick other states that we intend to win, to spend their campaign cash and spread it out as much as they can," said Davis.

    Sounds like Davis is scared that Obama is moving into their territory....ha, ha, ha....too funny. They forgot that Obama has enought money to go even into Texas and pressure them!

    No Davise we would encourage you to try to defend your states which we are going to win!!

    October 31, 2008 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |
  13. Ken

    I believe that the media (and that includes CNN) are the ones that are not being fair to both candidates, especially McCain.

    With CNN constantly broadcasting that Obama is ahead in the polls and McCain has a almost impossible journey in taking over the lead. I seem to hear that CNN is giving McCain more negative reporting and Obama more positive reporting. WHERE IS THE UNBIASED REPORTING.

    NOBAMA 2008

    McCain/Palin 2008

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
  14. sam

    GET OUT AND VOTE, ITS NOT TIME TO SLACK...TAKE BACK AMERICA...ITS YOUR FUTURE AT STAKE

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
  15. adg

    I heard Mccain is going to use the Draft if he wins, If this is true its because he knows he could'nt inspire anyone to fight these wars for him. so he would have to make them!!!!

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
  16. tishoogle

    Davis your just as scary as Sara the Half Bake Alaskan!

    OBAMA/BIDEN/08

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
  17. Observant Voter from Texas

    Everyone needs to get out and vote for Senator OB if you want to see things different from a positive perspective in our great country! I can not explain how important it is to vote!

    ONE VOTE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
  18. tulsa

    Hey Rick, you given back the 15 thousand you were getting from Freddie Mac up until August?
    Can you believe McVain still has this guy on his team?
    Oh, and Ricky, yes, the Obama team will be spreading it's ENORMOUS cash advantage around. I'm very thankful you reminded me, so I can donate AGAIN.

    All Republicans,
    Aren't you tired of your party running on fear and division?
    Aren't you tired of the lies and accusations? Aren't you ashamed of what the party of Lincoln and Roosevelt and Reagan has become?
    Teddy Roosevelt himself initiated the graduated tax that McCain is now calling "socialism".
    Reagan came up with the earned income tax credit. again, what Palin is calling "socialism"
    Why not put down your anger and fear and join your fellow Americans who believe in the GOOD of this country?
    Who in this world can defeat us if we stand together?
    Only by being divided can we fail.
    Join us and believe in this country again.
    Vote Obama
    Our future depends on it.

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
  19. Darrel from Denver

    Optimism. Gotta love it. Here is betting McCain is wrong

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
  20. MT

    Rick Davis... are you ready to go back to Freddie Mac? You'll be quite unemployed in about three days.

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
  21. RH

    "There's no indications otherwise today."

    ???

    What are they going to say when/if they get stomped on Tuesday? I mean, I understand they don't want to give any appearances of concession, but that doesn't justify what they're saying. They're only making fools of themselves with this sort of language.

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
  22. The GOP is a Pill

    Good morning heartache....

    The GOP should start preparing themselves for the fact that they are going to lose and lose big–HUGE.

    Obama/Biden 08

    I wish I could vote in Arizona!

    Arizonians, stand up and be counted for Barack and Joe.

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
  23. Sarah.....and my last name isn't Palin!

    Rick Davis is the worst campaign manager in modern history!

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
  24. Isaac

    McCain doesn't have "momentum", he has "JOE-mentum". Big difference. Remember how far that got his pal Lieberman back in 2004?

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
  25. R in Maine

    Willing to tell any lie, able to ignore all the facts, a perfect Republican president.

    October 31, 2008 02:01 pm at 2:01 pm |
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