Republican presidential candidate John McCain should not have publicly announced that he was pulling his campaign funding out of Michigan.

A Detroit Free Press poll released last month showed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama with a 13-point lead. This allegedly led McCain to pull out campaign funding in Michigan.Realizing a personal defeat is one thing, but announcing it to the press is quite another.

This not only blatantly damaged his chances of winning the election, but also damaged voters’ perception of him.

McCain supporters in Michigan will likely not vote in the election because they will feel their vote will not count. Voters should not be discouraged by their candidate, but rather inspired.

McCain comes across as a defeated candidate who doesn’t care about all voters. The people of Michigan are not going to want to support someone who seemingly gave up on their state.

Michigan was considered a battleground state, and McCain basically put up the white flag.

If Michigan really carried that much weight in the election, McCain should have not given up on the state but rather focused on it.

Although, McCain has been consistent with publicizing how he allocates funds. Earlier in the election, he boasted he would not spend a huge amount on campaigning to prove he was an economical candidate. McCain’s campaign reportedly was tens of millions of dollars less than Obama’s.

So, is he just following suit and trying to further prove he cares more about the issues than airing political commercials bashing his opponent?

Either way, this tactic gives a negative message to voters.

In addition, how will Michigan news sources cover McCain’s campaign trail?

Will voters have to pay attention to more national news?

This will certainly make Michigan a more Obama-influenced state because voters will be especially privy to the Democratic candidate’s message.

Conversely, Obama’s campaign could follow suit after a few weeks and leave Michigan behind too since Obama could feel he secured the vote.

Overall, McCain shouldn’t have publicly announced to a politically divided state that he was leaving the state behind to tackle others. His campaign advisers should have made him do this discreetly to limit the impact it will have on voters.

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