McCain fights to find votes in Wisconsin

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By Joseph Curl

MILWAUKEE | Wisconsin? Really?

"We wouldn't be here if we didn't think we could win here," said Mark Salter, a top aide to Sen. John McCain.

But the Republican presidential nominee, who Thursday began a two-day swing through the nation's cheese capital, is getting crushed in every recent statewide poll. The latest survey, done by Research 2000, puts the Arizona senator down by 10 percentage points, 51 percent to 41 percent, a four-point shift in favor of Sen. Barack Obama since its previous poll Sept. 22-23.

Polls released this week by Rasmussen and SurveyUSA also give the Democrat a 10-point edge.

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"Right now, I'm not sure what John McCain is looking at," said Jim Simmons, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. "I don't see the state as winnable anymore."

As Mr. Obama expands his playing field - he's leading in the polls in Republican strongholds like Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri and Ohio - Mr. McCain's map is shrinking fast.