It's Official

Today it is official, Obama will be closing all of his 11 North Dakota campaign offices. Former workers of these offices will be moved to the neighboring battleground states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. With Obama raising record breaking amounts of money for his 50 state campaign, some might wonder why he is so quickly pulling out of states he vowed to turn blue. This is especially interesting as early voting begins this week in North Dakota.

Obama Pulling out of North Dakota

The Associated Press reported that although Obama was pulling campaign finances from many red states that were previously receiving campaign funds to fuel anti-McCain advertising, he would continue to pour money into North Dakota. Obama has made it a point to campaign in ND in hope of turning it blue for the first time in just under half a century. However, they are now reporting that Obama will be pulling people and funding out of North Dakota and sending them to more crucial battleground states. This means that Obama will be sending workers from all eleven of his offices in North Dakota to other states within the next week or so. It looks like Obama his given up on North Dakota and thus, his 50 state plan.

McCain Still Leading in North Dakota

The latest Rasmussen Poll in North Dakota shows that John McCain is leading Barack Obama in the polls, 55% to 41%. Additionally, the report shows that McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, is bringing in even more positive ratings with a current 64% approval.

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%.