Obama camp outlines ‘path to victory’

Senior advisers to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Friday said they are preparing for a “dead heat” in several swing states but see a number of paths to get to the magic number of 270 electoral votes.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said that the Obama campaign, from the beginning of the general election, has “tried to have as wide a map as possible” to provide the Illinois senator with a number of avenues to victory and force Republican rival John McCain to spend time and money in what were once reliably Republican states.

{mosads}“The ratio of offense to defense has been strong for us all general election,” Plouffe said.

Plouffe told reporters on a conference call Friday afternoon that Obama is strong in all the states 2004 Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) won and is competing in states won by President Bush.

Plouffe said that “it's hard to see a pathway to victory for McCain to come back” in Wisconsin and Minnesota and that Obama is performing well in Indiana, North Carolina and Florida.

In New Hampshire, Plouffe said, the campaign is surprised that McCain is not overperforming, given his longstanding relationship with the state's voters.

Pennsylvania is viewed as McCain's best chance to stop Obama and offset losses in some red states, but Plouffe said he is skeptical.

Plouffe said McCain would need to win 15 percent of Democrats, 95 percent of Republicans and 60 percent of independent voters in Pennsylvania to capture the commonwealth's 21 electoral votes.

“I guess this is their new path to victory,” Plouffe said of the Keystone State. He added: “It's a daunting task [for McCain] when you wipe away the spin here and look at the facts.”

Plouffe said Obama has “strengthened” his position in Virginia and Colorado, and the focus on the economy has been a boon to Obama’s chances in Ohio.

Despite polls that show Obama opening up wide leads over McCain, Obama battleground state director Jen O’Malley said the campaign has built organizations crafted with close races in mind, and national field director Jon Carson said early-voting numbers have given the campaign a great deal of reason to be optimistic.

Plouffe said the campaign is not concerned that overconfidence among Obama supporters could depress turnout on Election Day because it continues to see a support base that is “very motivated” and Obama has a 2-to-1 advantage over McCain in voter intensity.

“Everybody's going to run to the finish line here,” Plouffe said.