Polls show that McCain retains solid support among core Republicans, a group that had once viewed him skeptically but has been enthusiastic ever since he named Palin to the ticket. Some local and state-level party officials, however, acknowledge that the financial crisis has moved moderates and independents toward Obama -- and some blame McCain for doing little to stop it.
Moreover, GOP officials said, they had already been seeing large voter registration gains by Democrats and independents in North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Indiana, foreshadowing tighter elections than they were used to.
"The frustration I hear is McCain's message isn't getting out that he was trying to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac years ago," said Linda Smith, Republican chairwoman in Clark County, Ohio. She was referring to the mortgage giants that were recently taken over by the government amid a tide of loans that went bad.
"I have to blame the McCain camp for not pushing it hard enough," added Smith, whose rural county lies between Dayton and Columbus. "It's so ingrained in people's minds that Republicans are good on national security, but Democrats are good on the economy, and it's very hard to counter that."
In rural Holmes County, Ohio, GOP Chairman Rob Hovis said that the dire headlines about the economy had made it harder for McCain to connect on the social issues that are the most important to the area's large Amish community.
"Being pro-life is the overriding issue here," Hovis said. "Because of the economic situation, that isn't getting through. Our chief effort is to help Amish and other conservative voters realize that the candidates are different on the social issues that matter most to them."
Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), who emceed a McCain rally last week in Waukesha, said Obama had been "pulling the wool over people's eyes" by casting himself as best-suited to lead on the economy.
But Ryan conceded that he understood why the polls were moving in Obama's favor. "People are nervous," he said. "They're scared and they are fed up. Naturally, they take it out on the incumbent class. [Obama] has appeared reasonable."
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peter.wallsten@latimes.com
david.zucchino@latimes.com
bob.drogin@latimes.com
Wallsten and Drogin reported from Washington, Zucchino from North Carolina. Times staff writer Janet Hook in Washington contributed to this report.
