Palin Appeals to North Dakota

Obama and McCain have both decidedly cut back spending in non-swing states. For Obama, this includes the McCain-leaning state of North Dakota. According to the New York Times, Obama had previously given the impression that he believed the "primary victory as well as endorsements from the two Democratic U.S. senators could help trigger an upset" in the state. However, after McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as his Vice-Presidential running mate, North Dakota may no longer be in the mood for a political shift. The UK's Telegraph reports that voters in North Dakota may be "attracted by her (Palin's) frontier roots and enthusiasm for gun rights."

Since McCain's pick, reports show that Obama has begun to shift his focuses to more controversial states. This includes shifting his spending focus to battleground states; thus, it seems that North Dakota will be taking a back seat for the time being as the campaign moves forward. As of today, McCain still holds strong with 47% approval to Obama's 41.8%.