If McCain loses, there will "be a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party," he said. The better McCain does, the more likely the party could recast itself as more moderate.
"McCain and what he stands for is the Republican Party that I want to support," Sloan said. "It's the tolerant party with the big tent. There is another side of the party that I haven't been as comfortable in."
For the most part, California's green is tinted deeply Democratic blue.
"The country has been going in the wrong direction for the last eight years," said Steve Westly, the former state controller and eBay executive who ran for governor in 2006.
A co-chairman of Obama's campaign, Westly has co-hosted numerous events for the Democratic ticket, including one recently for vice presidential candidate Joe Biden. "Watching Sen. Obama, there is just something different."
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dan.morain@latimes.com
maloy.moore@latimes.com
Times staff writer Doug Smith and data analyst Sandra Poindexter contributed to this report.
