McCain woos California´s pro-Democratic voters

Source: Xinhua | 08-28-2008 09:08

LOS ANGLES, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- When Democrats gathered in Denver to vote for Barack Obama as their party's presidential candidate this week, his Republican rival John McCain was busy traveling between one fund-raiser to another in California, a traditionally Democratic stronghold.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) (L) shakes hands with US Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) as he walks off the stage at the Civil Forum on the Presidency at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, Aug. 16, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

As the race to the White House begins to unfold in full with both parties officially kicking off the campaigns at their national conventions, McCain is determined to woo California voters who usually support a Democrat in the presidential election, political analysts said.

Recent national polls in the United States show the Republican candidate pulling even with or slightly ahead of his Democratic rival Obama, but the latest California poll showed Obama had a 24-point lead in the state.

But McCain said he would aggressively contest here in California.

"We're going to compete and win in the state of California. There's a lot of the political pundits that say we can't win in California. We can and will," he told guests at a fundraising reception in San Diego of Southern California Wednesday night.