Really? The Grand Canyon State?!

There has been a fair amount of rumbling of late on the internets that John McCain's home state of Arizona is coming into play in the closing days of this (extra long) campaign. And while it's just one poll, the latest out of Arizona has to make you happy if you've been saying "yes we can!" a lot lately and pretty down in the mouth if you still (somehow) think that McCain might make a good President.

The poll, from Research 2000 (for Daily Kos) has McCain up 48-47 and includes the tantalizing internals that early voters in the state are breaking for Obama 54-42 and that if there was a vote for Senator between the Democratic Govenor, Janet Napalitano, and McCain she'd wipe the floor with him 53-45. (I know, I know polls don't tell us whats gonna happen, enough said)

There is now at least one report that McCain will spend Monday night in Arizona shoring up support, rather than in say Ohio or Virginia among other crucial so called swing states.

Add to that the fact that the Obama campaign has added Arizona to their final media buy (the positive closing message spot will run) and that Obama campaign manager David Plouffe had the following to say this morning:

We think things have tightened up in Arizona. We are running a positive ad there ... [because we] think a positive ad there can help make a case. We have a lot of volunteers out there, and we’re doing well with Hispanic and suburban voters in Maricopa County ... If someone else had been the Republican nominee, [Arizona] would have been a battleground like its Southwestern neighbors. Our internal data suggest that this could be a very, very close race. Independent voters in the West are leaning very heavily toward Sen. Obama. We see that [in Colorado] and we see that same pattern in Arizona. It’s enough in the realm of the possible that we want to put a little extra effort in the end.

...and suddenly I'll be keeping a closer eye on the Arizona returns on Tuesday night.



Bonus Goodie: Ronald Reagan Chief of Staff Kenneth Duberstein just endorsed Obama.