Conventions Loom, Gap Narrows Between McCain, Obama
McCain and Obama locked in tight race going into their party conventions.
Aug. 21, 2008 -- Fresh polls indicate that Republican Sen. John McCain has caught up to his Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama, who has led in surveys by as much as eight points.
Nearly identical numbers were reported in two separate polls, one by The New York Times and the other by The Wall Street Journal.
Both showed McCain gaining strength in significant categories and pulling virtually even with Obama. The Journal survey showed that Obama outpolled McCain 45 percent to 42 percent, but with a three point margin of error, it was considered to be a dead heat.
The surveys indicate that McCain is leading Obama on the key issue of preparedness, but voters had more enthusiasm for Obama's candidacy and greater strength on the economy.
The next milestone in the two campaigns that could affect the polls are the candidates' selection of their running mates.
On the Democratic side, Obama appears to have made a decision on his running mate, although it is unclear whether he's informed the candidate yet.
Conservative Republicans Worry Over McCain's Veep Pick
At a town hall meeting in Las Cruces, N.M., two people in the audience pressed McCain on whether he would choose a running mate who supports abortion rights. One question carried a not-so-veiled threat.
"Are you going to pick a credible conservative we can actually rally around or someone who will cause us to stay home?" a man asked from the audience.
Replied McCain, "I will nominate a person to be vice president who shares my principles, my values and my priorities."
The abortion issue could be an explosive one for McCain in the Republican veepstakes.
A top McCain supporter recently met with a group of Michigan conservatives and asked if they would rather have the Arizona senator run with a pro-abortion rights running mate and win, or with an abortion opponent and lose. Many said they'd rather McCain lose than have someone on the GOP ticket who is not against abortion rights.
Anti-abortion Republicans are in an uproar over reports that McCain is considering picking Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman or former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge to be second on the ticket. Both are abortion rights supporters. McCain is anti-abortion.
In a possible effort to soothe his anti-abortion rights critics, McCain's campaign signaled Wednesday that he is backing away from a previously stated pledge to change the GOP platform on abortion to include exceptions for rape, incest and danger to the life of the mother. McCain's desire to change the platform dates as far back as his 2000 presidential run and as recently as April 2007, where he reaffirmed his difference with the party doctrine on permissible abortion exceptions at a dinner hosted by the Iowa Republican Party.
McCain's recent hands-off approach to the abortion platform would please many of the GOP's social conservatives but could alienate the moderates he is trying to attract.
A pro-abortion rights running mate could help McCain with moderate, independent and female voters. But the risks are enormous.
"There are a lot of Republicans who believe it would be a foolish choice," says Republican strategist Kevin Madden, a former senior adviser to Republican candidate Mitt Romney. "What you would do is set yourself up for a fight that you really don't need right now when one of your main tasks is unifying the party."
In May, Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council, called any attempt by McCain to change the party platform "political suicide."
McCain's Birthday Rally
With the GOP convention less than two weeks away, McCain's so-called shortlist for No. 2 includes Ridge and Lieberman but also former rival Mitt Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
McCain has reportedly scheduled a large rally in Ohio a week from tomorrow, Aug. 29, the day after the Democratic convention ends.
Why then? The splash of unveiling his running mate could cut into any bounce Obama gets coming out of his convention, and it would distract from the fact that it's the same day McCain turns 72, amid growing concerns over his age among the voting public.
ABC News' Jake Tapper, Ron Claiborne, Teddy Davis and Rigel Anderson contributed to this report.