SNEAK PEEK: 'Kerry'd Away'
Since N.H., McCain has reclaimed frontrunner status in the G.O.P. race
January 10, 2008— -- 5 days until the Michigan primary
9 days until the Nevada caucuses
As Republican '08ers prepare for their 9:00 pm ET Fox News debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., consider the ways in which the Mac is Back:
1. A new Fox News poll of likely Republican primary voters in South Carolina shows McCain doing better in the state than he had previously and Mike Huckabee doing less well (the poll shows them even among evangelicals). (The poll was conducted Jan. 9 and is the first reasonably sound poll conducted in the state since Dec. 17).
Fox, 1/9/08, 500 LVs
McCain 25
Huckabee 18
Romney 17
Thompson 9
Giuliani 5
Paul 5
Hunter 1
No opinion 19
2. McCain's once cash-strapped campaign is now raising money at a faster clip, according to campaign manager Rick Davis. As The Washington Post's Dan Balz reported, McCain is now unlikely to accept federal matching funds. If he had been forced to accept matching funds while running against a Democratic nominee operating outside of the system, it would have hobbled the Arizona senator through the spring and summer.
3. While McCain was the Republican who came under fire in South Carolina in 2000, this time Huckabee might be in for equally rough treatment: The Wall Street Journal's Susan Davis reports that an anti-Huckabee group is going on the attack during Thursday's Fox News debate. The group, Victims Voice, features Lois Davidson, the mother of Carol Sue Shields, who was raped and murdered by Wayne Dumond, who was granted parole by Huckabee when he served as governor. "If not for Mike Huckabee, Wayne Dumond would be in prison and Carol Sue would be with us," her mother says in the ad. Watch the ad here.
4. After months of neglect from the DNC, McCain is the subject of a research memorandum which portrays him as "Bush 2.0." Dr. Dean's team is also raising money off of his caught-on-tape willingness to keep U.S. troops in (a stable) Iraq for a hundred years (or longer).
Once the GOP debate gets underway, you can follow the live blogging of ABC's Rick Klein here:
As for the Democrats, no "This Week" viewer should have been surprised by John Kerry's decision to back Barack Obama following his win in the Iowa caucuses.
Endorsing Obama is chance for Kerry to claim that his '04 campaign spawned a political legacy.
It was at Kerry's '04 convention, after all, that Obama was introduced to a national audience.
In an October 2006 interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Kerry patted himself on the back for picking Obama as the 2004 keynote speaker and said that his confidence in the Illinois Democrat had "been obviously ratified."
"The bottom line is, I think he's a very interesting and very powerful communicator with a great deal of skill," said Kerry when asked if Obama was ready to be president. "I wouldn't have picked him if he didn't. And I'm really pleased to see the way in which the country is ratifying my judgment on that."
The kicker: "When it comes to making the case against Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama comes across as a vitamin-starved Adlai Stevenson."
--Karl Rove on Barack Obama in The Wall Street Journal
On the campaign trail…
JOHN MCCAIN
-- Meets with voters and holds media availability, Pawleys Island, SC
-- Meets with voters and holds media availability, Mount Pleasant, SC
-- Meets with voters at event, Summerville, SC
SENATOR SAM BROWNBACK (campaigning for McCain)
-- 6:00 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Hudsonville, MI
MITT ROMNEY
-- 11:45 am ET: Holds event with voters, Warren, MI
-- 3:00 pm ET: Holds event with voters, Lansing, MI
-- 7:00 pm ET: Speaks to voters at event, Hudsonville, MI
RUDY GIULIANI
-- 1:30 pm ET: Holds town hall meeting with voters, Coral Springs, FL
FRED THOMPSON
-- 10:00 am ET: Participates in radio town hall, Surfside Beach, SC
-- 12:05 pm ET: Tours downtown Georgetown, Georgetown, SC
-- 1:55 pm ET: Meets with voters at event, Monck's Corner, SC
-- 3:55 pm ET: Tours downtown Summerville, Summerville, SC
-- 6:30 pm ET: Meets with voters at event, Mount Pleasant, SC
DUNCAN HUNTER
-- 6:30 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Hudsonville, MI
As for the Democrats…
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE
-- 12:30 pm ET: DNC's Executive Committee holds a meeting, Denver, CO
BARACK OBAMA
-- 1:00 pm ET: Holds foreign policy summit, Reno, NV
-- 8:00 pm ET: Attends rally with members of the Culinary Workers Union and holds town hall meeting with voters, Las Vegas, NV
DENNIS KUCINICH
-- Appears as a guest on several radio talk shows
-- 11:30 am ET: Meets with voters at event, Hamtramck, MI
-- 11:50 am ET: Speaks to voters at event, Hamtramck, MI
-- 1:15 pm ET: Speaks to voters at event, Detroit, MI
-- 7:00 pm ET: Attends rally with voters, Detroit, MI
-- 9:00 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Detroit, MI
At the White House. . .
PRESIDENT BUSH
-- 1:15 am ET: Visits Yad Vashem, Jerusalem
-- 3:10 am ET: Visits Capernaum, Galilee
-- 3:50 am ET: Visits the Church of the Beatitudes, Galilee
-- 9:25 am ET: Participates in ceremony, Kuwait
-- 11:30 pm ET: Meets with the Amir of Kuwait, Kuwait City
POLITICAL NEWS STORIES ON ABCNEWS.COM
ABC News' Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz Report: What Did Obama Know? When Did He Know It? LINK
ABC News' Sarah Amos Reports: Richardson Ends Campaign Bid LINK
ABC News' Jennifer Parker Reports: Clinton Relies on Soul-Searching Message Guru LINK
ABC News' Matthew Jaffe Reports: Funnyman Franken Faces Serious Challenges in Senate Bid LINK
ABC News' Stephanie Smith and Ann Compton Report: False Start During Bush's Middle East Trip LINK
ABC News' Jan Simmonds Reports: Giuliani Unveils Tax Plan, Begins Florida Push LINK
ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Obama Raises $700K in Clinton's NYC Turf LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: The Abortion Vote the GOP is Planning to Use to Bring Down Obama LINK
ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: John Kerry to Endorse Barack Obama LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: Another Failed Democratic Presidential Candidate for Obama LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: The Bill Factor LINK
ABC News' Jan Simmonds Reports: Giuliani Ad Rails Against the 'Process' LINK
ABC News' Kevin Chupka: Huckabee/Colbert '08: Huck Yuks with Mock Running Mate LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: Kerry Didn't Tell Edwards Before Obama Endorsement Announced LINK
ABC News' David Wright, Andy Fies and Sunlen Miller Report: Obama Endorsed by Kerry in South Carolina LINK
POLITICAL VIDEO ON ABCNEWS.COM
Obama Thankful for Kerry's SupportSen. Obama applauds John Kerry's political service after getting endorsement LINK
Kerry: Obama the 'Best' for PrezSen. John Kerry endorses Barack Obama at a South Carolina rally. LINK
Bush Makes Bold Charge for Mideast PeaceBush: Mideast peace will require "painful political concessions by both sides." LINK
President Bush: Lost in TranslationTechnical difficulties arise in a news conference between Bush and Abbas. LINK
Clinton's Comeback Charles Gibson talks with N.H. Democratic primary winner Hillary Clinton. LINK
Republicans Turn to Michigan Mitt Romney and John McCain vie for the GOP primary in Michigan. LINK
Bracing for a RecessionGoldman Sachs calls America's economic situation "an outright recession." LINK
Troop Surge in Afghanistan?The U.S. military wants to control a security threat in Afghanistan. LINK
Investigating ObamaThe presidential contender has received money from an accused political fixer. LINK