House GOP group advises McCain on strategy for battleground states

Sen. John McCain’s campaign has relied on advice from a close-knit group of House Republicans as part of his effort to defeat Sen. Barack Obama in the battleground states of Ohio, Florida and Michigan.

At least 10 House Republican lawmakers meet once every two weeks with senior campaign staff such as Rick Davis or Douglas Holtz-Eakin to discuss the campaign and operations in battleground states.

{mosads}Several of these lawmakers represent districts expected to decide the contest between GOP presidential candidate McCain (Ariz.) and Obama (Ill.), the expected Democratic nominee.

Some represent declining manufacturing areas in the Midwest populated by culturally conservative working-class voters. These voters tend to align with the GOP on cultural and defense issues but favor Democratic policy on taxing the wealthy to fund social programs.

“We talk about everything,” said Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who helped organize the group, which meets with McCain’s top staff at the National Republican Congressional Committee. “Some meetings are on issues; some are about organization in the districts.”

Obama has adopted a less structured approach to collecting lawmakers’ political wisdom. His closest allies in the House say they have not formed a similar group to inform the campaign. Nevertheless, they describe frequent contact with the Obama campaign, though often the interaction takes place with state-level staff instead of senior national campaign aides.

Aside from Upton, McCain’s House GOP advisers include Reps. Steven LaTourette (Ohio), Patrick Tiberi (Ohio), Dan Lungren (Calif.), Paul Ryan (Wis.), Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.) and Ray LaHood (Ill.).

McCain values the counsel of most of these lawmakers because they supported him early in the GOP primary and remained by his side when his campaign ran out of money last summer and appeared on the brink of collapse.

The relationships are particularly notable because McCain had a somewhat tempestuous relationship with former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and hasn’t always gotten along with House Republican leaders.

Yet he has relied on the group of House GOP advisers in making tough decisions.

For example, before McCain reversed his position on offshore drilling, senior campaign advisers met with the lawmakers, who urged expanded oil drilling off U.S. coasts.

Before a campaign stop in Lordstown, Ohio, LaTourette urged McCain to talk about how biotechnology could create new jobs.

“He’s taken that advice very much to heart,” said LaTourette.

A year ago, in the midst of campaign turmoil that led to the resignation of senior campaign staff, McCain met with his House allies at an office in downtown D.C. to plead for their support.

“He told us, ‘I just fired my staff and I don’t have money, but if you stick with me I’ll win the nomination,’ ” said LaHood.

Some stayed and others left. Those who stayed became part of an inner circle of advisers.

McCain remembered LaHood’s loyalty months later when they saw each other at a fundraiser.

“The acknowledgement he gave me was incredible,” said LaHood.

Obama’s interaction with the House has been more diffuse.

“I’m not aware there’s any structural equivalent to what McCain has in the House,” said Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), one of Obama’s earliest congressional supporters.

“I don’t think Barack needs a lot of coaching from us on what’s going on,” said Phil Hare (D-Ill.), a longtime Obama ally.

While McCain has relied on regular meetings with a trusted group of advisers from battleground states, Obama has met with large chunks of House Democrats at a time.

Obama met with the entire Democratic Caucus on Tuesday.  Earlier in the year, he met with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Democratic Women’s Working Group, said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), chairman of the Democratic Caucus. Obama has also met with a group of lawmakers from industrial states who have concerns about free trade agreements.

Emanuel said that he speaks with Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, three times a day. Many other lawmakers, however, interact with the campaign’s various battleground operations.

Still, there are signs that Obama is listening to lawmakers from battleground states.

Obama just scheduled a tour through rural Missouri after Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) advised his campaign not to ignore heavily Republican parts of the state.

Carnahan said he interacts more often with Buffy Wicks, Obama’s state director, than with senior central campaign staff.

Rep. Dale Kildee (D), a senior lawmaker from Michigan, another battleground state, spoke Wednesday with Michael Blake, Obama’s state political director.

Kildee has emphasized that the Obama’s campaign should respect the political expertise of local groups such as the state chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Obama’s most senior campaign officials have shown particular interest in Virginia, a state that has traditionally supported Republican presidential candidates but is projected to be a swing state in 2008.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe held a conference call Wednesday evening with Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), Gov. Tim Kaine and other Virginia Democrats.

Boucher said he has urged Obama to devote time and resources to the state. The Obama campaign announced recently that it would open 20 regional headquarters in Virginia.

McCain and Obama campaign aides did not respond to requests for comment.